Advertisement in metro apps?!?

[soldier1st]

This is just another reason to avoid Winbloz 8. Ads are everywhere.

[Raa]

I guess they gotta make money some way

Yes, buy selling you the software in the first place. This is an operating system, not an advertising platform.

[Matthew_Thepc]

Yes, buy selling you the software in the first place. This is an operating system, not an advertising platform.

I already replied to that on page 2:

I was being a little sarcastic with that last sentence ;)

but you never know, they could pull another Xbox 360 and sell it for less than it costs to make, and then make up the difference in app sales & ads

[ArialBlue]

Stick to classical interface - problem solved.

[syobon999]

I'm sure if you read the EULA you had previously agreed to allow ads even in your forehead (thats owned by Microsoft now if you use W8).

7 is the new XP, good luck Win8 guinea pigs.

[cropcircles]

Result of failed Bing search engine. Great kickback for MS.

[prjkthack]

Yes, buy selling you the software in the first place. This is an operating system, not an advertising platform.

It's the future. Everything is an advertising platform/method to make money. XD

How the hell are the MS Metro apps different than Wordpad/Notepad? Wordpad/Notepad is NOT part of the OS. It simply a program that comes bundles with the OS. The same as bundled metro apps. If Microsoft added ads to notepad people would be furious, but because its a metro apps it doesn't matter?

WordPad and Notepad are "bundled" with the OS, yes, but the Metro apps are not. They are installed/downloaded upon first set-up of your system from the Store. They are not "bundled" the same way that WordPad and Notepad are (and therefore most people would say they are "part of the OS", in a way). There's this whole 5 minute segment of Windows 8 setup where it is "installing [metro] apps". Everything on the Start screen (excluding the Store and Desktop) can be uninstalled. WordPad and Notepad cannot be uninstalled (at least not in an official way), so while they may not exactly be "part of the OS", it is seen that way, as if they are joined at the hip.

To look at it from another perspective, when you buy a smartphone, the carrier and/or manufacturer installs some starter apps for you (which may or may not be uninstalled, and which also may or may not contain advertising of their own). Anything from carrier-owned services to crappy game trials. Microsoft is very much following this methodology, especially considering that Metro "apps" are the whole point of the new Start screen interface. To support this whole new world of modular, extensible, easy-to-build, and easy-to-make-money-off-of, app centric future that we're looking at. Most smartphones these days come with a bunch of pre-installed 'starter' apps for you either use or ignore. At least Microsoft gives us the option to uninstall them if we choose not to use them or do not like the advertising. The same can't be said for most phone carriers/manufacturers.

I'm sure for most people, yes, if I were to find an ad in Notepad, I'd probably not be happy, but if I found one in an app (whether that would be a Metro/Android/iOS/Windows Phone app), it would be much more widely acceptable. In fact I'm sure most people come to expect some form of advertising in most free apps.

Metro apps are highly interactive webpages or tablet-style app really, and ads are all over those. So I wouldn't have expected Metro apps to be any different.

[grayscale]

This is just another reason to avoid Winbloz 8. Ads are everywhere.

Lol, everywhere, eh? Nice try.

Stick to classical interface - problem solved.

Wut?

On topic: I rarely have seen ads on my apps. The "worse" is that of the game Hive Mind since the ad looks as if it's a snapped app :D

I don't mind apps at all on free apps. Heck, they are free anyway.

[FloatingFatMan]

WordPad and Notepad are "bundled" with the OS, yes, but the Metro apps are not. They are installed/downloaded upon first set-up of your system from the Store. They are not "bundled" the same way that WordPad and Notepad are (and therefore most people would say they are "part of the OS", in a way). There's this whole 5 minute segment of Windows 8 setup where it is "installing [metro] apps". Everything on the Start screen (excluding the Store and Desktop) can be uninstalled. WordPad and Notepad cannot be uninstalled (at least not in an official way), so while they may not exactly be "part of the OS", it is seen that way, as if they are joined at the hip.

Semantics. They come pre-installed, therefore meet the definition of bundled. Including ads in bundled or pre-installed apps, is not acceptable. Better to just not pre-install them in the first place.

[~Johnny]

How the hell are the MS Metro apps different than Wordpad/Notepad? Wordpad/Notepad is NOT part of the OS. It simply a program that comes bundles with the OS. The same as bundled metro apps. If Microsoft added ads to notepad people would be furious, but because its a metro apps it doesn't matter?

Wordpad / Notepad / Paint are part of the Windows package. They're listed as Windows Accessories, they're not removable in a default install, they have no uninstall options, and they all use the Windows "About" dialog - because they're a part of the Windows Package.

These Metro apps aren't.

[FloatingFatMan]

Wordpad / Notepad / Paint are part of the Windows package. They're listed as Windows Accessories, they're not removable in a default install, they have no uninstall options, and they all use the Windows "About" dialog - because they're a part of the Windows Package.

These Metro apps aren't.

Completely irrelevant to 99% of anyone buying Windows 8. Hell, to most folks, the crapware pre-installed by OEM's is part of Windows, too.

To most, if it comes with the PC, it's part of the operating system.

[~Johnny]

Completely irrelevant to 99% of anyone buying Windows 8. Hell, to most folks, the crapware pre-installed by OEM's is part of Windows, too.

To most, if it comes with the PC, it's part of the operating system.

It might be irrelevant to most uneducated people , but that's how it is. Though like I said earlier - when OEM's start shipping Windows 8 you'll probably see them taking advantage of this and installing their own Metro applications with more adverts in them to try and scrape some more money back :p

[FloatingFatMan]

It might be irrelevant to most uneducated people , but that's how it is. Though like I said earlier - when OEM's start shipping Windows 8 you'll probably see them taking advantage of this and installing their own Metro applications with more adverts in them to try and scrape some more money back :p

You expect that kind of behaviour from OEM's; it's something you've always done.

That Microsoft are now doing it, especially to apps that, for all intents and purposes, ARE part of the OS, is unconscionable. I don't mind ads in apps that I've chosen to install; but finding them in apps that were installed for me is not acceptable.

[n_K]

So if people are calling the weather app 'crapware' because it's not part of the os blah blah some other lame reason.

Does that mean getting a windows 8 signature PC/laptop will mean it will come without it then? No, so therefore, it's part of the OS.

[Chicane-UK Veteran]

You expect that kind of behaviour from OEM's; it's something you've always done.

That Microsoft are now doing it, especially to apps that, for all intents and purposes, ARE part of the OS, is unconscionable. I don't mind ads in apps that I've chosen to install; but finding them in apps that were installed for me is not acceptable.

Agreed 100%.

To say that the built in apps, that are on the Start Screen, after a clean install of Windows are not Microsoft apps is utterly ridiculous. Just because they're built by other teams in Microsoft perhaps, or use content licensed from 3rd party providers, Microsoft should be picking up the tab to pay for those licenses and then factor that into the cost of the OS. Putting adverts in is an utter disgrace and yet another reason to give this version of Windows a wide berth.

[testman]

Who. Really. Cares.

No one is forcing anyone to use the apps. You can use any other app you want, just like it's always been in all previous versions of Windows.

[.Neo]

Who. Really. Cares.

No one is forcing anyone to use the apps. You can use any other app you want, just like it's always been in all previous versions of Windows.

Quite a few people apparently. Who said anything about being forced to use it? If you don't care simply get out of this debate.

Like I said before in another thread: The second Microsoft feels the need generate additional income by the means of advertisements the app shouldn't be part of the default Windows installation. We have the Marketplace for that. Those apps that do ship with Windows by default can be considered part of the product you bought and should remain ad free. It's just a sleazy practice. It also doesn't exactly give the OS that "premium" feeling. Rather are cheap one.

[The Rev]

Uber tacky. Oh, and sad that MS is shamelessly promoting its own apps as inbuilt ads within windows now...

[max22]

People need to learn how to use ad blockers. They really do.

[bandit_liberty_rumble]

By the way. It's not just the Weather app. The Travel, News, Sports and Finance apps all have ads now as well (in addition to the Music and Video app that have had them for quite some time).

[max22]

I don't see any ads.

[prjkthack]

This all comes down to the same argument that the government has about Internet Explorer being bundled with the operating system back in the day (still to this day, actually). Some people care, some don't, some see it as illegal, and some don't. At least this time, Microsoft says, "Yeah, go ahead and uninstall it, its really easy!" instead of "Oh no, this is a integral part of the operating system and can't be removed! Sorry!". IMO, it's Microsoft's product, they can bundle and do whatever they want to it. If it contains advertising, I may or may not like it or care, but hey, it's still Microsoft's product, so they can do whatever they want. If I don't like it, the great thing about Windows is that there will be thousands upon thousands of other applications that I can use alternatively.

The future of Microsoft (in case you haven't noticed) is all about connected, always updated services and connected platforms. Only the apps that are connected to other Microsoft services, like to Xbox and Bing are the ones with the advertising. Xbox Music and Video tie into the Xbox Music and Video stores. How else are they gonna let you know that there are new movies or music available to you if they can't advertise that to you?

This is the same as Microsoft bundling Windows Live Essentials into Windows 7 (especially considering that most of these products are evolved versions of Windows Live Essentials re-made for Metro). Windows Live Essentials was connected to Windows Live, which makes money off of advertising.

Weather, Travel, News, Sports, and Finance apps are made by the Bing team. Bing lives on advertising. To think that there wouldn't be advertising in such an app is just silly. They are connected to the Bing platform.

Xbox Music and Xbox Video are connected to the Xbox platform, which also makes money on, among other things, advertising.

Calendar, Mail, Messaging, and People are probably the most important apps and they do not include any sort of advertising. These are the only apps that I would consider as part of the core Windows 8/Metro experience. The rest are all just extras that Microsoft has selected and chosen to install to get people started on Windows 8.

At the end of the day, if you don't like it, uninstall it and don't use it. Bottom line is that its certainly not going away and will only continue as more apps come out.

[threetonesun]

The future of Microsoft (in case you haven't noticed) is all about connected, always updated services and connected platforms. Only the apps that are connected to other Microsoft services, like to Xbox and Bing are the ones with the advertising. Xbox Music and Video tie into the Xbox Music and Video stores. How else are they gonna let you know that there are new movies or music available to you if they can't advertise that to you?

That's everyone's future (iCloud, Ubuntu One, etc), it's just a matter of how tacky you want to be going about it.

Given how terrible the Xbox is these days, I can't say I have any interest in the way Microsoft is heading.

[Sranshaft]

By the way. It's not just the Weather app. The Travel, News, Sports and Finance apps all have ads now as well (in addition to the Music and Video app that have had them for quite some time).

How is this any different to Windows Live Messenger including ads? Besides, the image you showed isn't exactly the worst example of ads in a free app. At least it's not like Android or those crazy, flashy ads you get on some websites. In fact, I'm going to say they're actually pretty classy; like ads you see in upscale magazines. At least they target the user. An ad for an airline company in a travel app makes pretty good sense to me. And they are always the last thing you see on the panorama, so you have to actually slide all the way to the end to actually see it.

It could be worse. Much, much worse...

[Phebson]

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.

The funny thing is you can right click the app in metro and click uninstall. I dont like any of them personally; but I do like using it solely as an app launcher. When/IF Microsoft kills off the desktop entirely, it looks like I will either stick with 7 or 8, or god forbid, be forced to Linux. Metro (or not Metro anymore) works perfect as an app launcher for me :p