back to article Microsoft slips ads into Windows 10 Mail client – then U-turns so hard, it warps fabric of reality

Microsoft was, and maybe still is, considering injecting targeted adverts into the Windows 10 Mail app. For a few, er, lucky folks, ads would appear at the top of their inboxes, they were using the client without a paid-for Office 365 subscription. The advertising would be tailored to their interests. Revenues from the banners …

Page:

    1. 404

      Re: Will they vet the ads any better than msn.com does?

      That one cracks me up - had one recently that fired up the speakers with alarms & voice-over. Reminds me of an 'Archer' voice mail lol.

      Points to the person who writes the malware that not only hits your machine, but also does your IoT appliances, causing alarms & strobing lights in your house... <cue IT Ghostbusters theme>

  1. Alan Sharkey

    EM Client is the answer

    It's as good as Outlook and is free for 1 or 2 accounts. Vote with your feet.

    Alan

  2. Teiwaz

    and the advertising would be tailored to their interests

    If Google miss the target more than they hit (and they do on my gmail a/c despite only being used for shopping) what chance of a still mostly s/w company which at the momo can hardly deliver a working s/w update for their own software.

  3. Skribblez

    I have had these adverts in the Outlook webmail client for a year or so, but pi-hole blocks them and all I see is a complaint from MS to either enable ads or upgrade to Office 365.

    This is on my email address that is tied to my MS account that does have an Office 365 subscription...

    Is there anything they don’t fuck up?

    1. ThatOne Silver badge
      Devil

      > MS account that does have an Office 365 subscription...

      So? Did you think that means you're exempt from seeing ads?...

    2. FozzyBear
      Happy

      Is there anything they don’t fuck up?

      No, any other questions?

  4. IGnatius T Foobar !

    retire these apps

    The only reason the Mail and Calendar apps exist is because they are needed on smartphones. Now that Windows Phone has died, they should simply retire these two very underpowered programs.

  5. whitepines
    Facepalm

    Does anyone remember Juno? That old bastion of "free" Email over dial-up across the pond for folks that didn't want to pay for a real Internet connection?

    It had banner ads via the custom desktop application you had to use to dial in / read your Email. In fact looking at the screenshots in the article I'm afraid to admit the Juno application was probably more usable and less obtrusive.

  6. Tim99 Silver badge
    Gimp

    Just for the hell of it

    I set up an iMac with the included Postfix system; mail -s subject someone@xxx.com [Enter] type or copy message body [Ctrl]+[D] was a surprisingly cathartic experience.

    Having said that, the bog standard Mac email client is adequate, allowing viewing "All headers" and "Raw Source" - Turning off "Load remote content" in messages helps a lot too. Whoops! Having just checked, I have 2,200 current local messages and another 15,300 archived in local mailboxes; as I am retired, I probably should sort and prune them a bit.

  7. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    Microsoft... considering injecting targeted adverts into the Windows 10 Mail app

    wow, I thought it was their intention all along, i.e. inject ads into Windows 10, period. Inject ads AND sell user data, to recoup and maximise the FREE factor :)

  8. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    You have full control of Windows and Mail

    And so do we

    Sincerely yours, MS

  9. Dabooka

    Surprise = Not

    I'm struggling of any free to use 'services' that don't at some point foist ads on people, and Microsoft joining the fray is of zero surprise. I did think they might do a better job of it though. No, wait....

    That's no surprise either.

  10. Long John Silver
    Pirate

    Domestic Windows - entertainment centre, marketing platform, and surveillance agent?

    Windows comes in versions tailored for category of user. That bundled in with PCs is intended for household users. It is the least configurable version. Apart from game players, these more likely anyway to opt for a more 'advanced' version, domestic users tend not persistently to deploy highly complicated and resource demanding software. Their desktops are communications centres, entertainment vectors, and devices for shopping. These users are what might disparagingly be called passive 'consumers' of 'content' and services sold or foisted upon them by others.

    These days the neo-liberal mantra demands monetising every possible thing: it's a matter of principle conveniently feeding avarice. The vast bulk of the population has disposable income, sometimes not much, and collectively this amounts to a considerable sum for exploitation by others. Ill-education among the 'consuming' class coupled with, on average, quite modest per person resource to tap into, determine the nature of attempts, honest and otherwise, to part them from their money.

    MS Windows for 'consumers' is, by virtue of prevalence, ideally suited to furthering several neo-liberal aims: monetisation, surveillance (by corporate entities and government), censorship and shaping opinion/behaviour, and 'crime' prevention as in curbing supposed 'theft' of so-called 'intellectual property'. So, in addition to being a tacky platform for marketing, MS Windows is well placed to attract custom from other corporate entities and government for services repressing supposedly antisocial Internet use.

    Windows 10 is a qualitative change from what went before. The pre-configured default desktop makes clear the transition from general purpose operating system to entertainment centre, marketing platform, and so on. In essence, neo-liberal and other controlling agendas shall be well served by Windows 10 and later versions. All that remains is getting Apple and Google on-side. It's doubtful either would resist.

    This peaceful transition to controlling the masses and ensuring such disposable income they are permitted is used 'wisely' requires no legislation. Given joint market dominance of three operating systems all alternatives can be forgotten about; this aided by gradually censoring mention of them on devices used by plebeians. There's no need to go after 'dissident' voices, these shall be able to speak only one to another. No attempt to forbid private use of VPN is necessary. Apparatus for site blocking and similar efforts to corral 'intellectual property' can be dismantled because three operating systems, with their compulsory updates, will suffice; left over nefarious activity simply isn't worth the bother of stifling.

  11. Jamie Jones Silver badge

    ", and the advertising would be tailored to their interests...."

    -----------------------------------------------------------------

    Sponsored AD: [X]

    "Fed up of ads in your Office Email?"

    Click http://www.freemyoffice.ms/ for

    our unique Office ad-blocking software!

    -----------------------------------------------------------------

  12. ab-gam

    Permanent Change via Ephemeral Subscription?

    I caught this little logic turd... "You can permanently remove ads by buying an Office 365 Home or Office 365 Personal subscription."

    OK - so you can 'Permanently' - as in forever and ever - get rid of adds if you buy something that stops existing every 12 months - a Subscription. Can something really be permanent if you have to buy it again and again and...

  13. Version 1.0 Silver badge
    Meh

    The traditional approach

    I'm with Abbot Amalric when it comes to In-app advertising these days, "Kill them all! God will know his own" - if I go to a web site or open an app that wants me to view an advert before I get to see the content then I quit.

    But the problem is this is everywhere these days, American Express called me about a suspicious charge on my credit card yesterday, and when I called the number on the back of my card, they wanted me to listen to an advert for a health plan before talking to a representative - I hung up - it seems it's not that important to them.

  14. JohnFen

    I'm so happy

    I am so happy that I don't have to use Office 365, regardless of whether or not it's "free".

  15. OffBeatMammal

    Wht two email clients anyway?

    One thing I don't understand is why they maintain two email clients?

    As an Outlook user it annoys me no end when I click on a mail link and sometimes it tries to open Mail (which I don't have set up) when it should have opened Outlook

    A much smarter (and easier for the users) approach would be to have a single mail client that based on license key turns on/off features and UX, so my base Win10 comes with Outlook (promoting the Office brand through name recognition) and when I apply my Office key all the other goodness lights up ... no redundant client and a better user experience.

    (while making Outlook the default on macOS is more reliable than on Windows - I never see Mail.App unless I explicitly launch it - on iOS, Apple annoy the hell out of me by not letting me set the default mail client to something other than theirs)

    As to advertising in the Mail client on Windows ... Microsoft obviously want to have their cake and eat it too ... charging for the OS and then plastering it with adverts to make the experience even worse

  16. Moosh

    Advertisers are con artists and businesses are idiots for overvaluing ads. Doesn't Facebook grossly overestimate the value of having ads on its platform? No one pays attention to them. Subliminal messaging is a gigantic crock. Obviously you need to get your name out there, but paying millions and millions for intense ad campaigns even after having established yourself is moronic.

    Coca Cola is big because everyone drinks it, not because they shit out advertisements.

    1. Terry 6 Silver badge

      I've a nasty suspicion that computer/web site advertising space sells to the advertisers because it's like Poundworld goods. They seem really cheap per unit, compared to say a big CocaCola TV ad. But like Poundworld the cheapness might be an illusion (You get what you pay for).

Page:

POST COMMENT House rules

Not a member of The Register? Create a new account here.

  • Enter your comment

  • Add an icon

Anonymous cowards cannot choose their icon