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Steve Jobs' Idea For an Ad-Supported OS

Posted by timothy on from the hey-it-works-for-broadcast-tv dept.

milbournosphere writes "It looks like Steve drew up an idea for an ad-supported OS. A patent was filed back in 2009 detailing how it was done. From the article: 'Rather than charge the normal upgrade price, which in those days was $99, he was thinking of shipping a second version of Mac OS 9 that would be given away for free — but would be supported instead by advertising. The theory was that this would pull in a ton of people who didn't normally upgrade because of the price, but Apple would still generate income through the advertising. And any time an owner of the free version wanted to get rid of the advertising, he or she could simply pay for the ad-free version. Steve's team had worked out the preliminary numbers the concept seemed financially sound.'"

23 of 255 comments (clear)

  1. Mac OS 9? by XxtraLarGe · · Score: 5, Informative

    Forum post says Mac OS X. I don't think he'd get many takers for Mac OS 9, even if he was giving it away without ads.

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    1. Re:Mac OS 9? by Anubis+IV · · Score: 4, Informative

      The news post says Mac OS 9 if you read it. The patent displayed OS X-specific stuff, but the idea was originally conceived back in the late '90s. They simply didn't patent it until much later, and by then it made sense to show it within the context of Mac OS X.

      I'm surprised this is coming around again now, since it already made the rounds in Mac circles back when the patent was filed back in 2009, but a lot of these sort of fluff stories are circulating after the new Steve Jobs book debuted today. It's not really much of a story, since Apple is known for filing patents on every little thing they think of, the vast majority of which never come to fruition. For example, devices resembling laptops and iMacs that lack a display but have a slot in the side where you can insert a tablet-like device were patented a number of years back, even before the iPad existed.

  2. Evil, with a capital E by DontBlameCanada · · Score: 5, Insightful

    That's a classic bait n' switch. How usable would an OS that pops ads all the time be? What if, after installing, they upped the ad frequency etc? Would the ads be embedded or fetched over the network? Could you downgrade to your previously legally obtained, ad-free, OS without losing all your work?

    This isn't an Apple bash or even a Steve Jobs bash. That idea is pure, unadulterated, marketing evilness.

    1. Re:Evil, with a capital E by Sarten-X · · Score: 3, Informative

      From TFA:

      Jobs envisioned the ad-supported version of Mac OS 9 displaying a 60-second commercial from a "premium" company at startup, with the ads occasionally being automatically swapped out for new ones over the Internet.

      Sounds like it'd be pretty darned usable, and I personally wouldn't notice much, since I reboot once every few months (usually due to moving cords or power failure)

      --
      You do not have a moral or legal right to do absolutely anything you want.
    2. Re:Evil, with a capital E by jo_ham · · Score: 4, Insightful

      How is it bait and switch if the choices are very clear up front?

      It's no different to the current model offered by a lot of software, especially in the mobile space, where a paid-for ad-free app exists in parallel with its almost-identical free version that only differs by showing ads. The only difference I see is that it applies to the whole OS instead of just a single app.

      It's also similar to the TV model - watch the show for free over the air with ads in the middle or wait and buy the DVD.

      As a marketing tactic it's pretty run-of-the-mill.

  3. dumb idea by thetoadwarrior · · Score: 5, Insightful

    Nothing cheapens a product like plastering it with ads even if you can get rid of them by paying.

    1. Re:dumb idea by MightyYar · · Score: 4, Insightful

      As the owner of an ad-supported Kindle, I couldn't disagree more. The only ads are at the bottom of the main menu screen (where all of the available books in your library are listed) and the "screen saver". Totally unobtrusive.

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    2. Re:dumb idea by cpu6502 · · Score: 4, Insightful

      >>>see their Kindle sitting there with a Visa ad on the front, it makes me feel nauseous.

      Wow.
      You're weird. A still photo of the Visa card makes you sick??? Ridiculous. Besides the ads are actually more entertaining than the non-ad version (boring & very repetitive screensavers of authors). At least the ads gave me ~$70 on initial purchase, plus another $10 in free gift cards.

      Advertising has also given me ~40 years of free television, 30 years of free talk or musicradio, free webpages instead of paypages, cheap $1 magazines, and so on. Free is better than spending ~$5000 a year to get the same level of service. (IMHO)

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    3. Re:dumb idea by smooth+wombat · · Score: 4, Funny

      it makes me feel nauseous.

      To quote Sheldon:

      You also made a common grammatical mistake, you said nauseous when you meant nauseated. But go on.

      --
      We will bankrupt ourselves in the vain search for absolute security. -- Dwight D. Eisenhower
    4. Re:dumb idea by Dog-Cow · · Score: 3, Informative

      If you're a normal person with the odd magazine and/or newspaper lying around, it is completely normal. If you're a stuck-up slashtard, you may have difficulties with the idea.

  4. Bad summary by broken_chaos · · Score: 5, Informative

    The summary is confusing and inaccurate. The patent was filed in 2008 (not 2009), and the reference to MacOS 9 was referring to a piece in a book ("Insanely Simple: The Obsession That Drives Apple's Success" by Ken Segall, according to the linked article) that suggests that the idea for the patent originated in 1999 (not 2008 or 2009) with Steve Jobs -- back when OS9 was heading towards release, making the reference to OS9 actually make sense.

    All this gleamed from clicking the sole link in the /. post, spending 15 seconds skimming it, and having a very basic knowledge of recent OS history. Proofreading, please?

    1. Re:Bad summary by ColdWetDog · · Score: 3, Funny

      You're hired.

      --
      Faster! Faster! Faster would be better!
  5. Already done - equaled fail by future+assassin · · Score: 5, Informative

    There were companies in the late 90's and early 2000 that were doing this with PC's and free internet. How soon we forget. Eudora or Opera anyone?

    --
    by TheSpoom (715771) Uncaring Linux user here. I have nothing to add to this but please continue. *munches popcorn*
  6. Intellectual process by Lexx+Greatrex · · Score: 4, Insightful

    1. Put adverts in OS
    2. Call it an "upgrade", not adware
    3. Patent it
    .
    .
    4. Threaten all add supported software makers with lawsuits (planned)
    .
    .
    5. Make unfathomable wealth by not actually inventing or even implementing anything (goal)

  7. Jobs was 10 years too late - "freepc.com" by Animats · · Score: 4, Informative

    Back in 1999, there was freepc.com. They didn't just give away the OS - they gave you a whole computer. Applications could only use a 640 x 480 area of the screen, which was a common monitor size back then. But FreePC shipped with a bigger monitor and display card. The rest of the screen was devoted to ads.

    Like most web sites today. And phones. And tablets...

    They were just ahead of their time.

  8. I thought it already had ads by Cro+Magnon · · Score: 5, Funny

    Everytime I turn on my Mac, I get that picture of an apple.

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  9. Re:Advertising is wrong by Altus · · Score: 3, Insightful

    I suppose you would rather pay cash for every web page you visit?

    --

    "In America, first you get the sugar, then you get the power, then you get the women..." -H. Simpson

  10. Re:And not a single by ZeroSumHappiness · · Score: 4, Interesting

    Chrome OS -- it's designed to integrate with the Google ecosystem, whose purpose is advertising in exchange for services. It's a step removed, but it's the moral equivalent.

  11. Re:Excuse my French. by sofar · · Score: 3, Funny

    EXACTLY

    Let's just *always* give the OS away for free...!!! .... reminds me, what was that Linux thing again?

  12. Re:Excuse my French. by ArcherB · · Score: 3, Interesting

    Fuck that shit.

    Couldn't you just block the ad server at the router/firewall level?

    Would the OS fail to work if it could not download ads?

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    There is no "I disagree" mod for a reason. Flamebait, Troll, and Overrated are not substitutes.
  13. Re:And not a single by hobarrera · · Score: 3, Informative

    MS *did* do this with their office suite.
    There's an edition of Vista that doesn't let you change the background (that's a premium feature!), or run more than 5 tasks at a time. It usually comes bundles with the ad-supported version of office, which takes about 50% of your screen real-estate on the netbooks that actully had it pre-installed.

  14. Re:Excuse my French. by sofar · · Score: 3, Informative

    haha! That was a rhetorical question. There are many a commit in the kernel sources with my name, but, thanks for the thorough and gratuitous explanation ;^)

  15. Re:Excuse my French. by Green+Salad · · Score: 5, Funny

    Sometimes, interruptions to your train of [get Amtrack tickets at a discount, pre-order here] thought are just not worth [Increase your net-worth. Talk to a TruWealth financial adviser today.] the money saved. [Save money on expensive phone bills! Get MagicJack phone service for as little as $19.95 a year! ]

    The best way to ensure [save 15% or more, with Gecko Insurance] that never happens [Hi, I'm Mayhem. Avoid mayhem.] is to pay the upgrade [upgrade now to a premium account and get unlimited access free] fee and just be [just be yourself with interchangable mouse covers in 49 different wild colors] done with it. [Get the job done faster with MultiStep, the swiss army knife of folding ladders!]

    I appreciate [Need to express your appreciation with flowers?] a little mental peace [Tie dye peace-symbol tee shirts, now 20% off!] [Excedrin, for those Excedrin moments.] and quiet. [Try Bose QuietComfort (tm) noice-canceling headphones, risk-free!]