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According to various online sources, Windows 11 might be moving forward with a subscription model where users would pay for the service by viewing ads with a cheaper subscription fee. Thus, rendering Windows 11 as a cloud service in the future. A recent job listing by Microsoft suggests this in detail.
Windows 11 is the successor to the beloved operating system Windows 10. It introduced a redesigned working environment and offered a free upgrade. While the test builds were available early on, the final product was launched in October 2021. The early versions of the OS posed problems for a few users, but the updates have resolved most of the issues.
It isn't uncommon to see ads for Microsoft's products and services on Windows 11. These ads mainly involve services such as Edge and Microsoft 365. They also landed themselves in controversy because their advertisements displayed an ad for Microsoft Editor in Windows 11, which sparked outrage among the users.
A job listing suggests Windows 11 might turn into an ad-based service
Windows 11 isn't new and has been operating in the software market for a while now. Recent reports indicate that Microsoft is developing a business model to produce and market low-cost Windows PCs that users pay for via advertisements and subscriptions.
This is supported by a job listing on Microsoft's official website that reads:
"The Windows Incubation team is chartered to explore new concepts for Windows in a cloud- and web-first world."
It then adds,
"Our team is looking for an exceptional Engineering Manager to build and lead a talented team of passionate engineers. You will work on innovative Web and platform technologies to prototype and explore new experiences. You and your team will partner with Product Management and Design to ideate and build new experiences aligned with the mission to drive cloud first experiences into Windows, create prototypes to validate early thinking, and use on-going customer data and research to validate our ideas. "
It went on to say,
"You will be responsible for defining architectures, engineering plans and processes in your team that drive quality and agility and move the team from ideation to shipping. You will play a key leadership role in defining and promoting an inclusive team culture with the best engineering practices to deliver experiences with quality and customer love. If you are that person, contact us!"
Microsoft already has a subscription-based model with Windows 365, which is cloud operated. The main idea behind pushing Windows 11 as a cloud-based service with ads is to make the software affordable and accessible on cheaper systems, thus reducing the overall cost of using a PC.
While this move may drive the costs down, it might also attract community backlash. Windows PCs are known to deliver a stable experience at a lower cost. However, software going cloud-based with ads may not be the right move.
The latest Windows iteration has a long way to go. High system requirements, along with TPM 2.0 and Secure Boot enabled, have made many old systems irrelevant and many users left out.
