Windows 8 Pre-Installed Apps Have Ads
Despite the fact that I’ve been using Windows 8 for the past three weeks, I somehow managed to overlook a rather stark feature in the OS: ads. No, we’re not talking about ads cluttering up the desktop or login screen (thankfully), but rather ads that can be found inside of some Modern UI apps that Windows ships with. That includes Finance, Weather, Travel, News and so forth. Is it a problem?
Firstly, there are ads not “in Windows 8”, as many have been reporting, but in certain server-powered preinstalled apps. So the equivalent on the iPhone would be having iAds appear in the Weather app, for instance.
Is it an issue? It doesn’t look good aesthetically, and it is sorta cheeky seeing as Windows 8 isn’t free … but it isn’t a deal breaker. It isn’t “adgate”.
Some people will be see them and promptly ignore them, or use ad-free substitute apps that serve the same role. Some people will never notice them; it’s just how their brains work: there is already so much on the screen that is bamboozling their attention.
Most, though, will notice and be non-plussed. Boring but that’s the truth. They simply wouldn’t care about it; the thought of caring will never cross their mind. They have much more important priorities than to ponder the existence of Bing ads in their news app. Tech snobs would call these people ignorant; I call them normal people.