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Apple aims at patenting in-OS advertising

updated 10:15 am EDT, Thu October 22, 2009

Ad-supported Mac OS a possibility?

Apple has been exploring the possibility of embedding advertising within Mac OS X, or other platforms, a newly-published patent application reveals. Originally submitted in April of last year, the application credits CEO Steve Jobs and several other people with the invention. If implemented OS users would be presented with one or more ads, which would temporarily disable some aspect of the software before allowing people to continue on.

The ads would generally take the form of pop-up windows, appearing at predefined times, such as once an hour. Tracking data would then be collected, such as when an ad was displayed, and what response a user took. Images supplied with the application suggest options such as rating, sharing or repeating ads; OS users might also be able to temporarily delay ads, to avoid interrupting some tasks.

The purpose of burdening users with ads would be to offer an OS for free, or at least at a discount. In the latter case, users could pay to extend their time with software, or to disable ads completely. Control of ads in Mac OS X could be handled through a Menu Bar item, which might also display the amount of time remaining before the next ad appears.

by MacNN Staff

(21)

TAGS :

patents, Mac OS X, advertising, Apple

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climacs
Fresh-Faced Recruit

Joined: Sep 2001

+3

10/22, 10:24am | report spam | close Reply |
hahaha

Install Little Snitch. No more ads if the OS can't communicate with the server!

Mr. Strat
Fresh-Faced Recruit

Joined: Jan 2002

+1

10/22, 10:25am | report spam | close Reply |
Oh c'mon

Windows 7 just started to look more attractive.

whambar
Fresh-Faced Recruit

Joined: Mar 2009

+7

10/22, 10:31am | report spam | close Reply |
Unwelcome Intrusion!!!!

I hope this is a trial balloon because anything that keeps me from doing what I want to do after I turn on my computer is definitely NOT welcome... advertising??? Seriously? What ex-MSer thought that one up?

kinglou
Fresh-Faced Recruit

Joined: Sep 2002

+12

10/22, 10:39am | report spam | close Reply |
This is quite possibly the worst idea ever

Seriously, how long will it be before it's hacked out of the OS or blocked. Of course they will try to tie it to something that you want for free and thats how they'll justify your ad compliance.

**BLOOP** you just won a free iPod!

sigh...

nowayoutofmymind
Fresh-Faced Recruit

Joined: Jun 2007

+10

10/22, 10:45am | report spam | close Reply |
try to read and understand...

It would be wise of you guys if you at least would try to understand the concept, before you whine and lament publicly. Look at the flow chart. This is about running a system in a unpaid mode showing adds. The user can buy the system and get a add free version.

it seems to me you are just here to vent your uneducated anger...

stefbystef
Fresh-Faced Recruit

Joined: Oct 2001

+4

10/22, 11:02am | report spam | close Reply |
comment title

Perhaps ist is targeted for kiosk Macs. Who knows.

ionlyuseosx
Fresh-Faced Recruit

Joined: Jan 2002

+7

10/22, 11:05am | report spam | close Reply |
Google and Microsoft are doing this as well

Not a big surprise here. Google is the king of ads and will incorporate it in all of their products including Android. Microsoft is doing it with a free version of Office and deals with Yahoo. It makes sense for Apple to do the same. Who knows maybe there will be a free or low cost version of OS X for the PC that is ad based and the user can pay to remove the ads. Yes, OS X can be hacked but fixed with every little update Apple puts out weekly or some other daily triggers.

eldarkus
Fresh-Faced Recruit

Joined: Feb 2004

+1

10/22, 11:13am | report spam | close Reply |
its a patent

They patent stuff all of the time and probably only use a portion of the ideas. Seriously.. get over it.

jpellino
Fresh-Faced Recruit

Joined: Oct 1999

0

10/22, 11:15am | report spam | close Reply |
ohdeargodno.

please.
seriously.

jpellino
Fresh-Faced Recruit

Joined: Oct 1999

-3

10/22, 11:22am | report spam | close Reply |
ohdeargodno.

please.
seriously.

hayesk
Professional Poster

Joined: Sep 1999

-1

10/22, 11:36am | report spam | close Reply |
Hackintoshes?

Maybe this will activate on Hackintoshes only. If people don't pay for the true cost of MacOS X (which is more than $129 per copy), make up for it with advertising.

chas_m
Fresh-Faced Recruit

Joined: Aug 2001

+2

10/22, 11:38am | report spam | close Reply |
Have you people ...

...forgotten everything you know about Apple?

Here's two things you seem to be forgetting:

1. Apple patents TONNES of stuff that NEVER sees the light of day, literally hundreds if not thousands of ideas. "Stacks" as a concept went something like twelve YEARS before being radically overhauled and finally released, which everyone hated till the completely overhauled it AGAIN. Apple is just getting a patent claim in on this concept.

2. If there's only ONE thing you should know about Apple under Steve Jobs, its this: THEY HATE CLUTTER. And they hate ads (apart from Apple ads). MobileMe is still the ONLY ad-free email of its size and scope, and iWork.com and all the rest of Apple (including iTunes) could make truckloads of money from accepting paid ads. But they don't.

Bottom line: this is a non-sequitur story that will never have any effect on serious Mac users. If anything, I would guess this would be a backup plan in case Apple decides to offer a version of OS X for PCs -- because anything even slightly above "stolen" sorry "free" is more than they can handle. There's also that smart fellow who suggested this might apply more to kiosk and commerce Macs than home users.

In any event, relax.

nitewing98
Fresh-Faced Recruit

Joined: Dec 2005

-1

10/22, 11:46am | report spam | close Reply |
Just because Google's doing something...

..doesn't mean everyone should. Apple makes enough money on their quality hardware/software. They should be happy with that and not make Microsoft's mistake of trying to be all things to all people.

After Jobs killed the Newton because he said they needed to concentrate on the Mac, I would think that this idea would have died on the drawing board.

To be clear, I really, Really, REALLY hate this idea.

elroth
Fresh-Faced Recruit

Joined: Jul 2006

-1

10/22, 12:01pm | report spam | close Reply |
not so fast

You can say it's just a patent application, Apple will never really do it, etc. etc.

But are you old enough to remember Sherlock, when Apple embedded banner ads into it? Fortunately, somebody developed a small app that blocked the ads, and Sherlock wasn't a major part of the OS.

If Apple does this, they're nuts. This would create a lot of bad will. People who now pay for all their OS updates will begin cheating, as Apple will look like every other rip-off company out there.

Now if they did NOT use it in the Mac OS, but got Microsoft to license it and use it in Windows, they may have something.

darkelf
Fresh-Faced Recruit

Joined: Nov 2003

+1

10/22, 12:05pm | report spam | close Reply |
half the reason...

if you've thought of it, and it hasn't been patented already, DO IT. even if you don't intend to use the idea yourself, you can license it when some other guy does.

testudo
Fresh-Faced Recruit

Joined: Aug 2001

-1

10/22, 12:14pm | report spam | close Reply |
Re: Have you people

1. Apple patents TONNES of stuff that NEVER sees the light of day, literally hundreds if not thousands of ideas.

And maybe they're patenting this to make sure no one else can do it (like MS) without paying apple.

"Stacks" as a concept went something like twelve YEARS before being radically overhauled and finally released, which everyone hated till the completely overhauled it AGAIN. Apple is just getting a patent claim in on this concept.

Small note. People still hate 'stacks'. Stacks as an original concept was a great idea. What they did to it is basically change folders in the dock into "animated whiz-bang look-at-me ins't-this-cool-looking" demo fluff that has very little practicality. I'm still waiting for the day where I can click on a folder in the dock and just have it open the freakin' folder. You know, just like when you click an application, it opens the application. And you click a file, it opens the file.

I would guess this would be a backup plan in case Apple decides to offer a version of OS X for PCs -- because anything even slightly above "stolen" sorry "free" is more than they can handle.

And why do you say that? Because there are a lot of PC users who think shelling out $400 for a computer is a good deal?

NeXTLoop
Senior User

Joined: Aug 2002

-1

10/22, 12:58pm | report spam | close Reply |
Nothing to worry about

It seems that people are getting worked up over nothing. There's any number of possibilities (most of which have already been commented on)...

1) Kiosk macs in the Apple Stores. This patent makes perfect sense for this.

2) A completely free OS (perhaps for a tablet device) with the option to pay. Why get worked up over this? Either you use the OS for free (something we don't have the option of now) or you pay to use it the way you like (just like now).

3) This could be a defensive patent filing. Companies do this all the time... file patents for things they have no intention of using, but don't want other people to abuse either.

JulesLt
Fresh-Faced Recruit

Joined: Jul 2005

0

10/22, 01:08pm | report spam | close Reply |
Internet Cafe

Agreed - look at the flow-chart, particularly 'buys more time' and it's clearly something to do with pay-as-you-go computing use.

rkadowns
Fresh-Faced Recruit

Joined: Aug 2001

-1

10/22, 01:18pm | report spam | close Reply |
If this gets implemented

I will leave the Mac universe.

Nonnegotiable.

rkadowns
Fresh-Faced Recruit

Joined: Aug 2001

0

10/22, 01:25pm | report spam | close Reply |
re: try to read and understand...

And how long will it be before they decide that their profits are better with the ads and drop the paid-for option to force the issue? I will not be part of this even if it's a possibility. An ad supported operating system is the worst idea in computing history. Go ahead Apple. Patent it so you can pursue royalties when it's implemented in Linux or if you decide to open up the OS to generic PC hardware or use this for free use of machines in a public arena but don't even think of going there on my Apple branded personal or business machine.

Yuck.

TheSnarkmeister
Fresh-Faced Recruit

Joined: Jun 2007

+2

10/22, 04:02pm | report spam | close Reply |
Okay, call the doctor...

This seals it, Steve Jobs has officially gone crazy. Although, perhaps crazy like a fox. What better way to lock out Microsoft then to tie up the patents for what is likely to the only business model eventually left to them?

Of course this only points out how corrupt our patent system has become in allowing for patent squatting. The whole system should be tossed, a point Apple should be well aware of given that Nokia only this week exploited the same system to sue Apple.

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Apple aims at patenting in-OS advertising

updated 10:15 am EDT, Thu October 22, 2009

Ad-supported Mac OS a possibility?

hahaha

Oh c'mon

Unwelcome Intrusion!!!!

This is quite possibly the worst idea ever

try to read and understand...

comment title

Google and Microsoft are doing this as well

its a patent

ohdeargodno.

ohdeargodno.

Hackintoshes?

Have you people ...

Just because Google's doing something...

not so fast

half the reason...

Re: Have you people

Nothing to worry about

Internet Cafe

If this gets implemented

re: try to read and understand...

Okay, call the doctor...

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Apple aims at patenting in-OS advertising

updated 10:15 am EDT, Thu October 22, 2009

Ad-supported Mac OS a possibility?

Related Articles

Recent Articles

hahaha

Oh c'mon

Unwelcome Intrusion!!!!

This is quite possibly the worst idea ever

try to read and understand...

comment title

Google and Microsoft are doing this as well

its a patent

ohdeargodno.

ohdeargodno.

Hackintoshes?

Have you people ...

Just because Google's doing something...

not so fast

half the reason...

Re: Have you people

Nothing to worry about

Internet Cafe

If this gets implemented

re: try to read and understand...

Okay, call the doctor...

Login Here

Register for our weekly email newsletter:

Connect tools:

Subscribe

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on Twitter

10 Most Read

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MacNN Marketplace