--- title: "Microsoft Considering Cheap Computers Monetized With Relentless Ads" description: "Incorporating ads into Windows may become the norm as Microsoft considers implementing them to offset the cost of providing low-cost PCs." date: "2022-11-05" modified: "2022-11-05" authors: - name: "Frank Landymore" job_title: "Contributing Writer" link: "https://futurism.com/authors/flandymore" url: "https://futurism.com/the-byte/microsoft-cheap-computers-relentless-ads" categories: - "Computers" - "Computing" - "Future Society" - "Robots and Machines" tags: - "microsoft" - "the digest" - "windows" --- # Microsoft Considering Cheap Computers Monetized With Relentless Ads ![Incorporating ads into Windows may become the norm as Microsoft considers implementing them to offset the cost of providing low-cost PCs.]() *\Image: Futurism\* ## Ad Armageddon Windows users are well aware that Microsoft's operating system is already rife with ads. Well, they're more like [annoying suggestions]() that look exactly like obnoxious pop-ups to try out its new features or apps, like Microsoft Edge, the web browser that no one uses but everyone is forced to know still exists. But now, it looks like Microsoft is considering implementing ads for real, or in other words, allowing third parties to start putting ads up too — a planned tradeoff to allow the company to sell cheaper PCs. Job openings at Microsoft [spotted by *ZDNet*]() are looking for engineers to join the the "Windows Incubation team" that will "move Windows to a place that combines the benefits of the cloud and Microsoft 365 to offer more compute resources on demand and creates a hybrid app model that spans from on-premises to the cloud." According to *ZDNet's* reporting, the job posting also boasted about providing "low-cost PCs powered through advertising and subscriptions," but it looks like that part has since been removed. We wonder why! ## The Inevitable Pivot Really, none of this should be surprising. Microsoft debuted its subscription-based Windows 365 service last year, which combines a suite of Microsoft software in a virtual computer in the cloud. And yes, Microsoft has already been [pushing ads]() on that service too. Its latest operating system Windows 11, which has failed to be widely adopted, even briefly flirted with [showing ads in its File Explorer](). Microsoft has also proudly declared that its technology is [powering Netflix's first ad-supported subscription tier](). The pivot, at this point, seems inevitable. It's something that Amazon's Kindles have been doing for years. The computers may be cheaper, but they'll be less the pure operating systems that do what you tell them to do and more whatever Microsoft wants you to do with them. And in an era of [**unavoidably**-ubiquitous advertising](), that just sounds grim. **More on Microsoft:** *[Microsoft's AR Headset Was a Complete Disaster During a Military Test]()* ## Author At Futurism, my work has often centered on bringing a sense of clarity and insight to complex topics ranging from the regulation of emerging technologies to the esoteric ideologies of Silicon Valley executives, while striving not to lose the poetic sense of awe inspired by often-obscure fields like astrophysics and quantum computing. I broke the story of CNET using AI to produce articles that turned out to be riddled with factual errors and plagiarism — a dam-breaking inflection point, as I've reported, that's inspired copycats and endless discourse while beguiling stakeholders ranging from tech giants to purveyors of spam around the web. My work at Futurism has been cited by publications including CBS News, the Los Angeles Times, Vice, Gizmodo, Engadget, the Verge, and Vanity Fair. I grew up in locales ranging from India to China, and now live in the exotic suburbs of Virginia. In my free time, I'm an avid reader of weird sci-fi literature, an aficionado of East Asian cinema, and, regrettably, a relapsed gamer. Allegedly, I’m working on a debut novel, currently untitled. ### Author social links [Bluesky]()