And for these who say that Apple has had a free OS for years, without Ads, again, to be fair, Apple charges for the OS in the price of the computer, which is, after all, an Apple product. Microsoft has nothing comparable other than their tablets. They need to make money of the software, and giving Windows away for free has cost them billions in sales and income.
After all, it's not like computer manufacturers shipping systems with Win10 have to pay licensing fees, which they roll into the price the customer pays.
Wait...
Don't equate a $40-60 licensing fee for each computer sold, to an average price of $1,350 that Apple sells its computers for. Apple makes around a 20% net on each machine, so that comes out to a net of $270 per machine.
But Microsoft is giving the upgrade away for free. They get no return on that. Microsoft's new mantra is to put their client software everywhere so as to make up for that lack of income. Remember that Home, as an upgrade, used to cost $99, and Pro used to cost $199.
I expect it has something to do with their place in mobile. Windows is now a converged OS and they can't charge desktop/laptop prices for Windows on mobile. iOS isn't an explicit purchase, Android is free so for Windows to be competitive in mobile, Microsoft has little choice but to become Google and use a different way to monetize on mobile and since they don't distinguish between mobile and desktop/laptop, the same applies there.
"it’s far more likely that Microsoft will make a play to embed post-purchase revenue streams as part of the Windows ecosystem. From Windows Store applications to Bing integration and in-OS advertising, Microsoft is moving away from deriving its income from the single point-of-purchase, and more towards an ecosystem where the initial OS revenue is just the beginning of monetization."
"Other competitors develop and offer free applications, online services and content, and make money by selling third-party advertising. Advertising revenue funds development of products and services these competitors provide to users at no or little cost, competing directly with our revenue-generating products.
Some companies compete with us using an open source business model by modifying and then distributing open source software at nominal cost to end-users, and earning revenue on advertising or complementary services and products. These firms do not bear the full costs of research and development for the software. Some open source software vendors develop software that mimics the features and functionality of our products."
They are getting burned by Google so they want to increase focus on services like cloud services. They will probably still need to have paid upgrade programs because it will be hard to consistently get >$50 from every PC user. Windows Pro might use ads differently from Home or disable them knowing there will be paid upgrades at some point. They use different segment categories now:
Windows is in Devices and Consumer Licensing, if they are to get $16b/year from say 300m consumers, that's ~$53 per user. It makes sense why they'd push recommendations for games as that's a big earning segment for them. They are obviously trying to grow their mobile audience, which reduces the amount they need to make from each person. Pushing the Windows Store like the game ad will bring in more revenue from Windows users too as they'll get a cut of each sale.
They'll push Bing search and Cortana to bring up recommendations they can make money from via ads or through their store, possibly for their own products. Tomb Raider is a time-limited Microsoft exclusive title for example. People should know by now that profit-making businesses don't give you their profit-making products for free.
While they should "know", this was in no way publicized to the public; if you change your business model, well you should say so in a very public way, not brush it under the carper as well, you should have known. That sounds like something you'd say to a mark after you hustled them.
I follow enough tech news to know that this never made it beyond the tech insider level; m mother, my aunt, my cousin all upgraded by clicking this nagging crap icon at the bottom of their 8.1 saying this was "free". The problem is you go from a Windows 8.1 with no pubs to well, full on tracking with little warning, and it's not so easy to go back too for a neophyte. The way it's "sold" is a bait and switch; good for MS and not good at all for users. Seriously, what the hell advantage for the user of going from 8.1 to 10, near ZERO for all the people I know who did it, all advantage goes to Microsoft.
Yep, these people feel like they got hustled.
What you're saying is not true. Microsoft stated, very clearly, at their developers conference, that the Ads could be turned off in preferences. That was publicized widely. That, by the way, is the same way Apple publicizes their own new work.
Win 10 is malware. You take a photo, its sent to Microsoft, all keystrokes are logged, email is read, disabling updates are impossible, microphone is monitored and your pc will constantly "call home" to Microsofts servers containing encrypted users data. Firewall rules and hosts files are usless at preventing this.
Why did this get three dislikes? Then again, that could just be the Microshills, since upping/downing is anonymous now.
It’s true.
Because it's a stupid thing to have said. What I find is that on a number of sites, I see virulent anti Apple people who say stupid things. But I also see virulent anti Microsoft people saying stupid things. That was one of those things.
Win 10 is malware. You take a photo, its sent to Microsoft, all keystrokes are logged, email is read, disabling updates are impossible, microphone is monitored and your pc will constantly "call home" to Microsofts servers containing encrypted users data. Firewall rules and hosts files are usless at preventing this. Your privacy is a commodity that they exploit and sell. Microsoft hires full time bloggers that lurk on countless forums to chastise anyone with criticisms or negative expeirences.
Aaand, it isn't free, after a year you have to pay for the updates...
To be fair, Microsoft did say this was going to be done even before the first betas of 10 came out. So the only people who didn't know are those who have paid no attention at all in the year plus, since it was announced.
And for these who say that Apple has had a free OS for years, without Ads, again, to be fair, Apple charges for the OS in the price of the computer, which is, after all, an Apple product. Microsoft has nothing comparable other than their tablets. They need to make money of the software, and giving Windows away for free has cost them billions in sales and income.
W10 isn't free after a year (the unwanted updates will cost you), isn't free when you buy a new computer and isn't free when you upgrade after a year. MS is constantly spreading disinformation to confuse its customers and tries every trick in the box to let people upgrade; when people finally do upgrade by accident the consequences can be disastrous. W10 is better labeled as ransomware.
Win 10 is malware. You take a photo, its sent to Microsoft, all keystrokes are logged, email is read, disabling updates are impossible, microphone is monitored and your pc will constantly "call home" to Microsofts servers containing encrypted users data. Firewall rules and hosts files are usless at preventing this. Your privacy is a commodity that they exploit and sell. Microsoft hires full time bloggers that lurk on countless forums to chastise anyone with criticisms or negative expeirences.
Aaand, it isn't free, after a year you have to pay for the updates...
Not exactly. Microsoft has said that after a year of introduction, it will cost for the upgrade to Win 10 itself. But many people think that Microsoft will push that back, and possibly eliminate the requirement. Meanwhile, any updates to Win 10 will continue to be free.
To be fair, Microsoft did say this was going to be done even before the first betas of 10 came out. So the only people who didn't know are those who have paid no attention at all in the year plus, since it was announced.
And for these who say that Apple has had a free OS for years, without Ads, again, to be fair, Apple charges for the OS in the price of the computer, which is, after all, an Apple product. Microsoft has nothing comparable other than their tablets. They need to make money of the software, and giving Windows away for free has cost them billions in sales and income.
W10 isn't free after a year (the unwanted updates will cost you), isn't free when you buy a new computer and isn't free when you upgrade after a year. MS is constantly spreading disinformation to confuse its customers and tries every trick in the box to let people upgrade; when people finally do upgrade by accident the consequences can be disastrous. W10 is better labeled as ransomware.y well drop the charge for Win 10
You're passing misinformation. As I just said in my above post, Microsoft said that they will charge for the upgrade after a year. But all updates to Win 10 will be free, always. And they might very well drop the upgrade charge altogether.
Win 10 is malware. You take a photo, its sent to Microsoft, all keystrokes are logged, email is read, disabling updates are impossible, microphone is monitored and your pc will constantly "call home" to Microsofts servers containing encrypted users data. Firewall rules and hosts files are usless at preventing this. Your privacy is a commodity that they exploit and sell. Microsoft hires full time bloggers that lurk on countless forums to chastise anyone with criticisms or negative expeirences.
Aaand, it isn't free, after a year you have to pay for the updates...
No you dont. You will have to pay for an upgrade from win7 or 8 etc but updates to 10 won't be charged.
First, so much raging over such a simple solution: "Press this one button."
Second, are people so naive? Free is usually followed by ads. It happens on broadcast TV. Are you also emotionally outraged and butt hurt when you download a free app only to find ads when you open it?
Third. Amazon does this on their Kindles. Does that make you want to rage over it? Amazon CHARGES YOU ACTUAL MONEY to turn off the ads. Why is that not a bigger deal than Microsoft not charging you anything?
But this is an apple site, so please, do continue your nonsense Windows emo-raging....
W10 isn't free after a year (the unwanted updates will cost you), isn't free when you buy a new computer and isn't free when you upgrade after a year. MS is constantly spreading disinformation to confuse its customers and tries every trick in the box to let people upgrade; when people finally do upgrade by accident the consequences can be disastrous. W10 is better labeled as ransomware.y well drop the charge for Win 10
You're passing misinformation. As I just said in my above post, Microsoft said that they will charge for the upgrade after a year. But all updates to Win 10 will be free, always. And they might very well drop the upgrade charge altogether.
Not intentionally, just a misinterpretation on my side. The point is of course that MS cannot be trusted, and eternally free updates - even with new customer exploitation schemes - aren't guaranteed. I wonder, does the license agreement contain the frase "eternally free updates"? I don't think so, so by repeating MS's ad slogans you might be the one "passing misinformation"
Oh the horror, a single cool looking ad on the lockscreen that I rarely ever see. There are more ads on this page and no one is complaining about them but having one on the rarely seen lockscreen and everyone throws a fit. How dare someone put an ad on something they haven't paid for. Others and myself have paid for a TV and Cable/Satellite subscription and even after paying and still paying every month we are still shown ads nearly every 10 minutes; and again, no one complains until a single (cool looking) ad is shown on a free version of windows. Spare me your hypocritical fit, comeback when the lockscreen ad actually starts making annoying sounds and makes logging in difficult or time consuming for the purpose of keeping your eyes on the ad and maybe clicking through otherwise there are numerous ads on this page and you haven't said a word about a single one of them.
comeback when the lock screen ad actually starts making annoying sounds and makes logging in difficult or time consuming for the purpose of keeping your eyes on the ad…
Comments
Don't equate a $40-60 licensing fee for each computer sold, to an average price of $1,350 that Apple sells its computers for. Apple makes around a 20% net on each machine, so that comes out to a net of $270 per machine.
But Microsoft is giving the upgrade away for free. They get no return on that. Microsoft's new mantra is to put their client software everywhere so as to make up for that lack of income. Remember that Home, as an upgrade, used to cost $99, and Pro used to cost $199.
What you're saying is not true. Microsoft stated, very clearly, at their developers conference, that the Ads could be turned off in preferences. That was publicized widely. That, by the way, is the same way Apple publicizes their own new work.
MS is constantly spreading disinformation to confuse its customers and tries every trick in the box to let people upgrade; when people finally do upgrade by accident the consequences can be disastrous.
W10 is better labeled as ransomware.
The point is of course that MS cannot be trusted, and eternally free updates - even with new customer exploitation schemes - aren't guaranteed.
I wonder, does the license agreement contain the frase "eternally free updates"?
I don't think so, so by repeating MS's ad slogans you might be the one "passing misinformation"
Edit: and wat about W11?
You paid for the OS when you bought the computer. Windows is exactly the same situation... except in execution.
So the ads in OS X are where, exactly?
How about when Windows starts DELETING YOUR OWN SOFTWARE SILENTLY IN THE BACKGROUND?
This was introduced in the November update.