Microsoft's business model for Windows has been a hot topic lately, as the company's moves continue to point to an ad-supported or subscription-based future of the platform. There was a time when some thought Windows 12 might be subscription-based, following in the footsteps of successful services like Adobe's Creative Cloud. Neither advertisements nor subscriptions are particularly new for people in the Windows ecosystem. Ads have been in parts of Windows taking various forms — some optional and others not so much — for about a decade. Microsoft 365 has been available as a subscription for longer than that, since 2013. But every time the company takes another step to collect more user data, provide more "personalized," "tailored," or "recommended" experiences, or other cleverly-disguised ads, I can't help but feel disrespected as a customer.
Microsoft’s new Start menu ads represent everything I hate about Windows
