Apple patent forces ads on Mac users

Yeah, cos what the world really needs is more adverts!

I'd rather pay not to be nagged thanks!

By Grunthos on 17 Nov 2009

I don't understand

Is Apple suicidal? Are they banking that their users are often so brainwashed by shiny white finishes and marketing that they will buy this? Imagine buying a book that flashed up advertising for Audi every time you read anything about cars.

I suppose they could be planning a cheap line of devices where the cost is met by advertising, released along side a premium, ad free version?

There should be a prophecy foretelling that Apple will one day usurp it's arch rival at Richmond, and in doing so will be exposed as just another evil multinational. Oh hang on - that's already happened, they're just better looking.

By hjl4354 on 17 Nov 2009

It won't work

A simple fact is that people don't like being forced to do something. If you try and force them, they'll resent it.

Hence, if you display ads, prevent them from being skipped and force the user to do something to make sure they're paying attention, they'll simply end up with a strongly negative feeling of resentment about the company/product being advertised.

And correct me if I'm wrong, but I thought the point of advertising wasn't to make potential customers hate your company.

By Trippynet on 17 Nov 2009

No doubt this will be quickly cracked.

By malfranks2 on 17 Nov 2009

Can't wait!

That is brilliant! That's like shooting your own foot using a Challenger tank :) Can we have a paralyser included as a next step, please, so the user can't even blink? My word, Apple as Clockwork Orange gone wrong... Who would have thought?

By Josefov on 17 Nov 2009

Can't wait!

That is brilliant! That's like shooting your own foot using a Challenger tank :) Can we have a paralyser included as a next step, please, so the user can't even blink? My word, Apple as Clockwork Orange gone wrong... Who would have thought?

By Josefov on 17 Nov 2009

Becoming Nutty?

That's what happens when you have fruit for brains.

By nicomo on 17 Nov 2009

The Emperor's got no ...

Yes but it'll be okay because the ads will only be in black and white and the 'I'm a MAC' brigade will claim they're not ads really, they're in fact works of cinematic art, and so superior to any other ads. And the faithful will queue up in Apple Stores just so they can tell their kids they were the first to see the latest new ad. And of course Stephen Fry will appear in them ;-))

By rjp2000 on 17 Nov 2009

This is clearly a crazy idea (I think the idea that your phone could actually test you on the advert you've just seen is the cherry on top) and I can't see it going over well with frankly anyone. People have been making tea or skipping adverts on TV for too long now. On the other hand, how much would someone accept for subsidised software and hardware? We've seen what people will do for cheap mobile phones.

By steviesteveo on 17 Nov 2009

Did it occur to anyone that Apple may have registered this patent to prevent the technology ever seeing the light of day. Companies register hundreds of patents for many different reasons, including preventing others from deploying certain technologies.

By SAughton on 17 Nov 2009

Prevent others ...

... from depolying technologies that threaten your own similar technology. Altruism it is not.

By mnj_lim on 17 Nov 2009

Emergency...

Great, just when you want to dial the emergency services, you have to watch an advert and perform a mime in the middle of a burning house.

But it is going to be a great collect of Darwin Awards.

By DarrellJF on 17 Nov 2009

It is a strange idea. What annoys is that people who can't afford a Mac/won't buy one consider this to be Apple only. Microsoft have tried it too.

However, from someone who blocks ads ferociously any attempt to make we watch adverts will fail.

Being forced to watch an advert would usually mean on principle - I would not buy anything related to the ad.

Also, the legal issues of your OS being overtaken by an advert would probably contravene the computer misuse act in that it prevents you from lawfully using something you are legally entitled to. No doubt Apple would write this into their T&Cs but as previous cases have shown these can be challenged in court quite easily.

It's an absurd idea.

By bubbles16 on 17 Nov 2009

Hackers, stand by your computers!

Well it's bound to happen.



"Are they banking that their users are often so brainwashed by shiny white finishes and marketing that they will buy this?"




Well they buy everything else.

By Lacrobat on 17 Nov 2009

Advertisement or Virus?

If it takes over your MAC and renders it useless whilst its being played, then in a way, its a virus.

What happens if you get spam, you wouldn't be able to use your MAC for hours. How's that for useability ;o)

By andy_fogg on 17 Nov 2009

No singing fat lady on this, just yet

I am 12 minutes from a conference call with Apple on some other matters - I'll bring this one up. My suspicion is that they are looking for other legal ways to attack virus and malware writers - there are dome very odd lawsuits in the US at the moment in which malware writers are obliging AV companies to fail to detect their payloads, on the basis that being detected is "defamatory". If Apple have a patent on intrusive technologies then this is enforced by existing international treaties, so they have a mechanism to chase the hackers, overseas.

Though if you want to scare yourself properly, consider that the patent doesn't say it is limited to just Mac users!

By Steve_Cassidy on 17 Nov 2009

Quote: "My suspicion is that they are looking for other legal ways to attack virus and malware writers"

But surely every Apple user has been telling us for years that they don't need AV software because Macs never get viruses.

By jgwilliams on 17 Nov 2009

Sounds a bit link MBS to me

Remember the MBS billing 'scandal' a couple of years back?

Remember how antivirus software cleared it out, and after the 'clearout' mechanism was publicly available, all antivirus could detect and remove it (despite protests from MBS it was legit).

If this goes ahead, here's my prediction: someone will write an app that will remove this patented technology by (probably) replacing 1 or 2 files from a vanilla install, freeing users of the 'virus'.

So how's that folks? Where there's a restriction placed upon oneself, it is only natural to hack our way round it. (And I'm sure that IT pros like ourselves would be able to get rid of something like this easily)

By GlasgowGuy on 17 Nov 2009

@ bubbles16

"It is a strange idea. What annoys is that people who can't afford a Mac/won't buy one consider this to be Apple only. Microsoft have tried it too."

Oh well that's all right then. The Apple patent will fail cause Microsoft all ready have it. Or is that your usual Mac fanboi piffle.

By chapelgarth on 17 Nov 2009

I'm a Mac user and I won't have anything to do with this 'feature if they role it out. In fact they would lose my business.

By kaneclem on 17 Nov 2009

Sat Nav systems next, mark my words!

By cookster on 18 Nov 2009

Coincidentally (or not) MS have just announced they plan to sell 'advertising space' in W7.

By j9chapman on 18 Nov 2009

Patents == Bad

This invention is an 'obvious' extension of a modal dialog-box. Thus it's difficult to see how it could be patented. Yet, such patents are being granted nowadays.

I would go further and say that patents should be abolished as a whole, not just on software but on all devices.

Overwhelmingly, patents serve to allow corporations and entrepreneurs to restrict the useage of OTHER peoples' hard work. Very rarely does the REAL inventor benefit from a patent.

By Anteaus on 19 Nov 2009

Sounds Familiar

Isn't the process of taking control of a computer and the Operating System which is legally owned by someone known as HACKING and technically illegal.

One might compare this concept to Malware often also compared to DRM techniques like those employed by companies like Sony.

Naturally Apple will force people to acceed to this by changing the Terms of the Contract.

I'd recommend voting with your feet and move to an Open Source Alternative.

By j_woolliscroft on 19 Nov 2009

Already been done...

This type of forced advertising has already been done - it's called Adware or viruses and it annoys everyone (not only that if it is deemed to be a virus then it could be illegal, Apple had better watch themselves). I like Apple computers but if they introduce this type of adware to MacOS it will certainly put me off buying any type of Apple Mac and stick with Windows. Even if they do introduce it though people will find a way round it or get so annoyed with it they'll be forced to remove it, and it will be against human rights, as many DVD companies found out when they tried to stop people skipping the adverts at the beginning of rental DVD's, and now most rental DVD's allow you to skip the adverts because people were pirating them to get round the adverts and it was far better to let them skip the adverts than to have them copy the DVD's.

By TheKLF99 on 19 Nov 2009

Bye Bye iPhone

If it happens - as far as I'm concerned - it will be bye bye iPhone hello Nokia, Blackberry whatever.

By GeorgeRobb on 19 Nov 2009

Not Hacking but Cracking

@j_woolliscroft: "Isn't the process of taking control of a computer and the Operating System which is legally owned by someone known as HACKING..." No it isn't; it's known as cracking. Hacking is a much respected pursuit. This common error has been perpetuated by journalists for far too long.

By 6tricky9 on 19 Nov 2009

Big Apple Jet Set or Big Brother

Big Apple Jet Set Glider - or Big Brother?

First major commercial seems to be now some kind of self generating image for the Apples future as a vision.

By Finnsanity on 19 Nov 2009

This is another step in the advertiser's arms race to get you to take notice of them. In the early days of the web, many advertisers plastered websites with banner ads. Users quickly became habituated to this and now most web users have evolved a banner-blindness which prevents them from seeing the banner ads at the top of websites. Don't believe me? well, without scrolling up, can you remember what the banner advert at the top of this page is? You were looking right at it on your screen less than a minute ago

- ok, if its the cheesy and cheap sexy schoolgirls on the uk fast advert you might have a slightly better chance of noticing it, but normally, even if you look straight at the top of a web page, you are habituated into ignoring the banner ads from years of using websites.

The next step in the arms race was popups, which became so annoying to users that just about every modern browser has a pop up blocker in it.

There have been other attempts by marketeers (which is on of the more polite nomenclatures) to focus attention on adverts including in-content adverts - the ones that appear in the middle of page content - and slide-over adverts which use div layers to jump in front of whatever you are trying to read. If I get a slide over advert, my mouse reflex is to hit the close button as fast as I can find it - either that or click the back button.

In every case, people find ways to push advertising away when it is thrust in their faces, either by ignoring it (as with banner ads) installing software (eg popup blockers) or just going elsewhere (as in ad heavy websites) - what will probably happen if apple do start using this technology is that you will hear a deafening sound of the clatter of apple products being tossed into a trash can. Once apple start offering free MP3s on itunes with audio adverts on the beginning that you can't skip, or selling cut price macbooks with locked OS's that nag you with adverts, they will find people will start moving away from apple over to using lower price windows 7 products or creative mp3 players (which dont have to use the demonic iTunes software) to avoid them.

By mykeblack on 19 Nov 2009

Apple Fools Day

Good God, is it April already!! Or maybe that's another Apple patent in the works - a moveable April Fools Day anyone?

By latchkeykid on 21 Nov 2009