Microsoft Patent Envisions Free Computing

Dotnaught writes "A Microsoft patent application published on Thursday shows the company contemplating free computers and software for its customers. It suggests 'a service provider such as a telephone company, an Internet service provider, or a leasing company may provide computer systems or components to users at a reduced charge or for free in exchange for targeted advertising delivery.'"

Comments

Didn't we have this already?

[YrWrstNtmr]

CompuServ + Circuit City. PeoplePC. Altavista. Walmart.
Free hardware and/or online access.

Didn't work too well last time, either. Once you let the marketing guys fingers into it, they screw it up, by pushing too much.

Prior art?

[mabhatter654]

isn't there already prior art for this? I thought there were 2 or 3 companies already doing this, many were in South america, so that may not be "prior" art. Also, wouldn't netzero qualify... they didn't give away a whole PC, but they had a model of ads-for-service 5 years ago.

Re:They tried this already

[aichpvee]

People have done this before. Given away from computers that required you to view ads while using them, and usually required a certain amount of time spent with the computer connected to the Internet for retrieving new ads.

Could someone who cared enough to read the article explain how this patent is different than what those companies were doing in the late 90s?