Microsoft starts testing ads in the Windows 11 Start menu
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The first ads in the Windows 11 Start menu will look familiar.

Microsoft is seeking feedback on the changes, so it’s possible the company could decide to ditch these ads […]

are they really looking to see if people want to see more ads? i can’t imagine this is anything more than a meaningless corporate “we value your feedback” message. they already know what people think about ads in their operating system, they’ve tried it many times

It’s likely they’re looking for feedback from their shareholders, and their advertising partners rather than the users themselves. They know they’ve got a good portion of the market cornered and if it looks profitable to them; why wouldn’t they do it?

They are not seeking feedback between “I like it” and “I hate it”, they want feedback between “I tolerate it because I still feel locked in” and “that’s it I’m moving to a competitor”.

Basically the same idea as “what the market will bear.”

That whole sentiment only works in a monopolistic / oligopolic market. In a free market, competition would make companies sell better products. Only if there is no decent competition does enshittification work.

No; in a free market without regulation. the bigger fish outcompetes the smaller ones, or buys them outright. Which then is exactly why enshittification works in the first place.

What you’re saying is true, but in my book, a market is not free because of the lack of regulations.

Free markets are not stable things, and without regulation, they fail. Regulation keeps markets free. My definition of a free market is the econ 101 one, which is many competing companies, who all are individually unable to affect market prices. Not the weird ancap one, where we throw the reins in between the horses and let companies consolidate into a fascist dictatorship.

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