I certainly can’t argue with this… but the sad fact is that on Reddit, in article comments, in tech forums etc. you just don’t see that many people objecting to what Microsoft is doing with Windows. It’s almost as if it’s a given that of course the company will be aggressively promoting its products and services through a platform that people have already paid for, one way or another.

It’s a situation that’s comparable to what is happening with ads appearing in the graphic user interface of Smart TVs. There’s no law against it so manufacturers just go ahead and embed ads in our main screens and app rows. Nobody asked for this, it’s annoying to many people... but complaints are not somehow expressed en masse or in a way that would make said manufacturers back off. The media have also downplayed the significance of the whole situation — despite it having to do with private and/or personal information as well — in essence helping all manufacturers make ads just part of the whole experience of using a Smart TV day in, day out.

It’s so, so outrageously annoying. Yet here we are.