Microsoft Debates Launching Cheaper Lineup Of Computers Riddled With Ads

Freemium Microsoft computers may be coming our way, with the company heavily wrestling with launching a new lineup of models that could be rife with advertisements.
 
Anyone who uses Windows is no stranger to the fact that Microsoft implements advertisements into its user interface. While most of the time, those are in-house promotions to get people to try new apps, that may no longer be the case in time, as the company contemplates opening the floodgates to third-party developers.
 
ZDNet formed the deduction after spotting a job posting by the company for a new “Principal Software Engineering Manager.” Within the description, it states that the new employee will be joining a “Windows Incubation team” whose primary purpose is to combine the resources of the cloud and Microsoft 365 to allow for a “hybrid app model that spans from on-premises to the cloud.” 
 
Apparently, the job specification also described “low-cost PCs powered through advertising and subscriptions,” but that line has since been deleted. Also mentioned were direct-to-cloud devices, not just computers.
 

Windows 365, a subscription-based cloud service released last year, has briefly toyed with the idea of advertisements by promoting more in-house applications.
 
The Start menu and other areas of Windows 11 already include scattered commercials for promoted apps. Additionally, as part of an “experiment,” advertising in File Explorer briefly appeared in March.
 
Also, given that Microsoft is powering Netflix’s new ad-tier model, it might not be that far of a stretch for Microsoft to do the same for itself.
 
However, it is yet to be seen how this will affect usability and productivity. There must be a way for users to get from point A to point B without being constantly bombarded with commercials, right?

 
 
[via Futurism and The Register, Photo 184376284 © Peter Kovac | Dreamstime.com]