Advertisement in metro apps?!?

[djesteban]

So I just installed Windows 8 in a VM to test it out basically.

Can't say that the new interface adapts to a desktop use really, but I can see this working really well on a tablet (can't wait to try one of these surface tablet!).

Anyways, one of the first thing I fired up is the default weather app. Apart from the fact that the background images seems to be compressed the hell out and that most of them looks ****ty, I've notice that they've slapped adds in there?!?! I mean, what's going on here, are they planning to transform that new OS in an advertisement plateform?! Now, I have not noticed this in any other apps for the moment, so is this the only exception?

Anyone else bothered by it? I mean, people are already paying for the OS; would be insulting if they started doing this...

I'll try to install photoshop and nuke on it and see how I like the workflow, but I already think I'll miss the start menu. I really don't see any use for this new start screen on a workstation.

[bandit_liberty_rumble]

Huh. You're right. :huh: Didn't notice that before. I was only aware of ads in the Music and Video app (and 3rd party apps that take advantage of the advertising APIs). You have to scroll fully to the right though, right?

[Nothing Here]

I don't have any ads in my weather. Ooops! There it is. I have never scrolled it before. Grrr! That's ridiculous!

[prjkthack]

Metro apps are apps like ones from the Android/iOS/WP7 markets. They can paid, or free, ad-supported, or not. Totally up to the developer. That was the whole goal of Metro and Windows 8, was to introduce a new way to acquire and use apps, like you do on any smartphone, and make it friendly and easy to use.

The Music and Videos apps have ads, and so does the Games app. Some games, like Wordament also have ads as well.

I'm sure just like any other app-centric platform, you'll find free ad-supported versions of apps, along with paid/premium non-ad-supported versions as well.

[+Frank B. Subscriber²]

There are ads in some of the Metro apps. I could understand if it's limited to 3rd party apps or MS apps you install from the store.

But in pre-installed apps coming with the OS you purchased?!?

[jasondefaoite]

But in pre-installed apps coming with the OS you purchased?!?

THIS!

I guess that's why MS is charging "only" $40 for the OS. Make up the difference from ads.

Anyways, the stock Music app is ****. Pushes my own content off the screen to promote the Xbox music store. And even then, the layout for your own content looks like ass compared to how they layout the store content.

I'd rather someone did a track8app for windows 8. I'd pay for it rather than use the stock Metro app.

[NeoandGeo]

The pictures in the Metro apps look fine here on a 1080p/900p screen, maybe it's because of the VM? Thumbnails for the maps are low res, but when you click on them, it looks alright.

As for ads, as long as they are on the very far right, I couldn't care less if they are there.

Edit: Music app is s***, seriously. I have all my collection show up perfectly in WMP including artists/album names, but the music app shows 8,000 unknown artist songs in 3 unknown albums. Also the pictures metro app only loads maybe 1% of my pictures with thumbnail previews, looks very bad and makes it unusable.

[bandit_liberty_rumble]

As for ads, as long as they are on the very far right, I couldn't care less if they are there.

And I suppose the ads are at least tangentially related to the subject matter of the app (the weather in this case)... ;)

[djesteban]

There are ads in some of the Metro apps. I could understand if it's limited to 3rd party apps or MS apps you install from the store.

But in pre-installed apps coming with the OS you purchased?!?

+1

Pre-installed apps should not display adds, since in a way, you already "payed" for it. It's a really lame move from Microsoft.

Like you said, I don't really care if the store apps have adds or not, since I have the choice to download them or not.

The pictures in the Metro apps look fine here on a 1080p/900p screen, maybe it's because of the VM? Thumbnails for the maps are low res, but when you click on them, it looks alright.

As for ads, as long as they are on the very far right, I couldn't care less if they are there.

Edit: Music app is s***, seriously. I have all my collection show up perfectly in WMP including artists/album names, but the music app shows 8,000 unknown artist songs in 3 unknown albums. Also the pictures metro app only loads maybe 1% of my pictures with thumbnail previews, looks very bad and makes it unusable.

I'm displaying at 1920x1200 here and let me tell you that some of those pictures looks really low-res if you look at them on a calibrated monitor. Some of them shows brutal image compression artifact (I even saw one where the image seems to be a still from a digital video footage because the artifacting looks like macroblocking).

[0nyX]

Regarding the image quality same thing happens to wallpapers.Once you set an image as wallpaper it doesn't matter how good the quality is it will get full with artifacts.

It used to happen on Windows 7 too and the solution was to set the wallpaper using Firefox.

Bad quality in images can be seen all over the OS mainly starting from the Metro apps,going to icons and wallpapers. Even the new default preview icons for images and videos on File Explorer (old Windows Explorer) if you set them as big thumbnails you can see they are full of artifacts.

[Growled Member]

Just another reason not to get Windows 8? :p

Anyway, I hate any app that does that.

[BajiRav]

THIS!

I guess that's why MS is charging "only" $40 for the OS. Make up the difference from ads.

Anyways, the stock Music app is ****. Pushes my own content off the screen to promote the Xbox music store. And even then, the layout for your own content looks like ass compared to how they layout the store content.

I'd rather someone did a track8app for windows 8. I'd pay for it rather than use the stock Metro app.

This applies to video app as well

[grayscale]

I personally don't mind the ads since I only use the default apps for live tiles :p

I installed on it on a notebook and since it is placed on the far right, I don't see it unless I scroll on the far right but how intrusive is it on high-resolution screens?

[Matthew_Thepc]

would you rather have full-screen background ads? (personally, I'm fine with them if they're done right, but I could see this quickly get to the :x stage)

I guess they gotta make money some way

[PsYcHoKiLLa]

Looks like Microsoft is going all out for the commercial approach with Windows 8, ads in the apps, Selling/Renting video/music, no wonder they're selling it so cheap. More potential sheep to shear.

[The King of GnG]

It's the "app economy", folks: if you don't pay for anything, you are not a customer. You are the product. Enjoy your iPhone, your Windows 8 and your Android, I'm sticking with an ad-free desktop PC/UI/applications for the rest of my life....

[n_K]

So you're sticking with DOS 5.22? :D

I think it's disgraceful to come with built-in apps.

[Colin McGregor]

is it a US thing?? I just ran all my metro main apps (weather, music etc.) and not a single ad. I scrolled all the way over and still nothing

[grayscale]

^Far right of the weather app. It did not load right away on my end but it's an ad about Office 365.

[Colin McGregor]

Sitting for 10 min. Where does the ad show?

[siah1214]

Use your hosts file to block ads. I thought everyone that knew how to do this would have done it by now? I guess not.

[Colin McGregor]

17 min and still no ads. Its either US only or its random

[Hum]

Looks like Microsoft is going all out for the commercial approach with Windows 8, ads in the apps, Selling/Renting video/music, no wonder they're selling it so cheap. More potential sheep to shear.

Indeed -- corporations think you are sheep -- you'll accept anything.

[djesteban]

would you rather have full-screen background ads? (personally, I'm fine with them if they're done right, but I could see this quickly get to the :x stage)

I guess they gotta make money some way

What do you mean by they gotta make money some way ?!!? Windows 8 is not free last time I checked, so I don't see why a rich corporation like Microsoft needs to metamorphose their OS into an advertisement platform.

After a couple of days messing around with Windows 8, I can only assume that Microsoft wants to switch from a business-oriented framework to a media & entertainment model.

All in all, I can't see one good reason for any business to upgrade. There's absolutely nothing in Windows 8 justifying the investment, mainly because all the "new features" seems to have been design for the purpose of remodeling their flagship product into the next xbox.

Anyways, only time will tell if this is successful or not for desktop users. My guess is that it won't...

[George P Global Moderator]

The thinking that you're paying for the OS so the free apps that come with it shouldn't have ads is something I don't get. I suppose it's the internet effect and everyone is just used to getting whatever they want "free".