Apple Patents Putting Ads Into the OS
Buckle up, 'technology fans'! While Microsoft launches Windows 7 today, Apple may be quietly working on an ad-supported Mac OS X.
The concept of advertising-supported services are nothing new. Magazines that you buy and television shows that you watch are largely subsidized by advertising. Even the web publication that you're reading now is supported largely through advertising (thanks our wonderful sales team who leaves editorial completely independent).
But what about ad-supported software? That's also nothing new, as some of the free software we use today on our computers feature ads in some form. Apple could be exploring uncharted territory with an ad-supported operating system.
In a patent originally submitted last year, Apple details a system where ads are presented to the user of the operating system. Unlike ad-supported applications, the ads are pervasive throughout the OS. The end result could end up being the ultimate nag ware, but the tradeoff is an OS that's at a reduced cost or completely free.
The abstract reads:
Among other disclosures, an operating system presents one or more advertisements to a user and disables one or more functions while the advertisement is being presented. At the end of the advertisement, the operating system again enables the function(s). The advertisement can be visual or audible. The presentation of the advertisement(s) can be made as part of an approach where the user obtains a good or service, such as the operating system, for free or at reduced cost.
Macnn has some diagrams that show that it may be possible for users to control when the ads display, along with the option to delay them. Crafty hackers would probably find a way to disable ads altogether, but such an ad-supported system could lead to more affordable public internet terminals and kiosks.
- apple ,
- patents ,
- advertising ,
- mac ,
- osx
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As if I need another reason to keep not buying their OS...
Good Lord, it's bad enough that every website on the internet is basically flooded with ads on the top, bottom, sides, pop ups, pop outs, and whatever else they use on the page, but now they want me to see ads before I'm bombarded with them?
Where does this end? Sorry but no thanks, I'd pay full price for an OS before this ridiculousness.
p.s. (obligatory) Apple sux lolololol
Well, if they hold a patent for such a nuisance, perhaps that will deter other Operating Systems from following suit.
ubuntu anyone ? pure computing ! it runs Godspeed on my pentium 4 2.4 ghz , 512 ddr1 333 ram and 80 gb sata hdd and compiz fuzion on an old nvidia 6600 agp 4x. no ads , no viruses , i use it for online banking exclusivel y . but yes i took a while to get used to linux environment !
Awesome, Apple rules. Cause our lives aren't filled with enough annoying morons trying to sell us crap, lets pile on more.
"...but such an ad-supported system could lead to more affordable public internet terminals and kiosks."
Lol, cause there are no free OS's today, right? L.I.N.U... Someone finish the rest, I'm tired.
Apple is the devil.
You will first need to pay the apple tax to get their hardware, just to have the privilege of having your computer show you ads. Good luck with that.
Good thing they patented it, wouldn't want others getting a hold of your ridiculous idea.
I do not believe Apple will ever put ads in their OS. This will probably go in the vault to be pulled out later to troll any competing OS that tries to support itself with ads. In other words, some guy on the patent team looked at the obvious and sent in a patent to see if it would be accepted.
"could lead to more affordable public internet terminals and kiosks"
Linux?
If apple does that I can see their stocks plummeting immediately.
yup, we see enough advertisements in our daily lives - how about those hyperlinks that are tagged onto random words on a page!!! It's like navigating a mine field!
I think it's a great idea. If I could try out OSX (or Windows) for free in exchange to having an add cover my wallpaper every once in a while, I'd definitly give it a go! the company would earn money, and if the product was good I'll probably buy it to get a full copy without ads after a while.
At least Apple got to it first; won't have to worry about it with Windows for awhile.
Yeah but when commercials pop up during shows I can change channels I can't just change OS's because you can't have a Mac virtual machine. Its bad enough that I have to deal with crappy advertisements that pop up when I'm trying to read an article or waiting to go to a site but I can get away from it by clicking away. This sounds like it wont let you do that...
I so hope a program that works like AdBlock and NoScript gets created if this becomes popular.
I should patent having fruit-look as a logo... or more than 2 colors for a logo.
Wow....and we are not supposed to hate Macs?
So you can be working or whatever on your computer; then have to stop what you are doing and listen/watch the advertisement before you can continue using whatever program that was interrupted.
Am I reading this right?
If Apple actually implements this; I think it will be settled that Apple is NOT providing competition to the other vendors and Microsoft, but rather leading the way for making the computer restrictive and expensive for the user.
I guess Apple is really trying to give people a legitimate reason to despise them now.
I for one, would never stoop to using an Ad supported Operating System.
As another user put it, I would rather pay Full Price for it.
All this is going to do is open the flood gates for the Hackers to openly start hacking OS-X and not only that, but it's going to provide an extra push to the OSx86 project.
So what we'll start seeing is More OS-X (Hacked) running on Intel (non-Apple) Systems.
Let the Rebellion Begin!!!
This is what passes for innovation at Apple? And their fanbois have the audacity to denote Microsoft as "M$"?! Talk about the pot calling the kettle black. And, they patented that piece of crap of an idea?!
This is so inane, that perhaps we shouldn't rush to judgement until the other shoe drops. I can only hope they patented this to prevent others from doing it (maybe cheap linux competition?), although I am fearful that might be naive. We'll see. I will say that any company that did this would immediately go on my "Do Not Buy" list.
Fuck over advertising.
I think Banksy says it best:
* People are taking the piss out of you everyday. They butt into your life, take a cheap shot at you and then disappear. They leer at you from tall buildings and make you feel small. They make flippant comments from buses that imply you're not sexy enough and that all the fun is happening somewhere else. They are on TV making your girlfriend feel inadequate. They have access to the most sophisticated technology the world has ever seen and they bully you with it. They are The Advertisers and they are laughing at you.
You, however, are forbidden to touch them. Trademarks, intellectual property rights and copyright law mean advertisers can say what they like wherever they like with total impunity.
Fuck that. Any advert in a public space that gives you no choice whether you see it or not is yours. It's yours to take, re-arrange and re-use. You can do whatever you like with it.
Asking for permission is like asking to keep a rock someone just threw at your head.
Money money money money.....
LOL! Apple, the greedy bastards. It's all about money to them. I hope they don't go through with it or else.
I don't like OSX [not apple, just their OSX and Quicktime], and if I want a free OS to install on my PC, despite that I can't install OSX on my PC, I go to Ubuntu or some linux here, but I rather choose an OS that is more user friendly and "easy advanced" and has a lot of third party and hardware support like MS's Windows 7 and even pay 300 bucks for it.
Apple, Sometimes you patent somethings that are so ridiculous.
I think the point of this move was to not put ads in their future products, but to keep other OS vendors from putting ads in their respective OSes
This amuses me.
And the thing about it allowing future OSes to be cheap or free? Come on, get off it. Despite rumours, Linux and *bsd don't actually require much time to acclimate to. If you have half a functional brain, you can manage to figure out how to do everything you are used to on one of the windows-clone distros (ubuntu, xandros, lindows^H^H^H^Hspire, etc). If you have less, you probably won't notice any difference.
I'm glad apple is patenting it, though. It means that some new distro won't come along and deal that kind of abuse to the poor noobs that don't know any better.
I am tempted, however, to call prior art. After all, Microsoft has stuck adware (some of it unremovable) prepackaged with Windows since at LEAST Windows 95. The whole Windows Messenger thing, as well, was more or less a glorified spam distribution platform, built into the basic services.
This amuses me.
And the thing about it allowing future OSes to be cheap or free? Come on, get off it. Despite rumours, Linux and *bsd don't actually require much time to acclimate to. If you have half a functional brain, you can manage to figure out how to do everything you are used to on one of the windows-clone distros (ubuntu, xandros, lindows^H^H^H^Hspire, etc). If you have less, you probably won't notice any difference.
I'm glad apple is patenting it, though. It means that some new distro won't come along and deal that kind of abuse to the poor noobs that don't know any better.
I am tempted, however, to call prior art. After all, Microsoft has stuck adware (some of it unremovable) prepackaged with Windows since at LEAST Windows 95. The whole Windows Messenger thing, as well, was more or less a glorified spam distribution platform, built into the basic services.
Why is the number pad on the left side of that apple keyboard?
Apple should worry about their own problems:
http://www.gsmarena.com/nokia_suin [...] s-1202.php
Seeing that OSX is only offered on Apple supplied hardware, I tend to agree this isn't to put in OSX, but for grounds of litigation against ad supported operating systems, i.e. anything from google. This seems simply as a method to try to keep google out of the compeition. Of course Apple could simply use it as a means of revenue by licensing it. But if they refuse to license it, it could be viewed as anti-competative... Apple is known for patenting things an then refusing to license them to third parties *cough*fairplay*cough*
well so much for trying out apple OSX in the future.
I dont have issues paying for somebody's work in writing an OS - but to have ads cramed down my throat is going too far.