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Tag: MSPoweruser

  • Microsoft Introduces Bing Pages To Help Individuals & Companies Manage Their Brands

    Microsoft Introduces Bing Pages To Help Individuals & Companies Manage Their Brands

    First reported by MSPoweruser, Microsoft has unveiled Bing Pages, a new way “for brands to manage their public personas on Microsoft products like Bing and Outlook.”

    When searching for a well-known or popular person, company or brand, Bing will often display enhanced search results that provide far more—and usually more visually appealing—information than a standard search. With Bing Pages, Microsoft aims to bring those results to everyone. The program is currently in beta.

    According to the official site, “Bing Pages is a beta program that lets users manage their presence on Microsoft products such as Bing and Outlook.com….Participants who sign up for this program get their own page on Bing to highlight their contact information and social media channels. They can also promote social media posts in relevant search results–at no cost.Businesses can use Bing Pages to customize their Outlook profile with updated contact info, images, and content. These changes also appear in Bing search results.”

    The signup page is available to everyone and only requires an email address and Twitter account to get started.

  • Microsoft Spent Four Times More Promoting The Surface Than Apple Did The iPad

    Microsoft Spent Four Times More Promoting The Surface Than Apple Did The iPad

    According to MSPoweruser, Microsoft has spent four times promoting the Surface than Apple has the iPad.

    Since the iPad’s release in 2010, Apple has dominated the tablet market. In spite of that, Microsoft has been trying to make inroads in the market for years, appealing to users who need or want the full power of the Microsoft ecosystem.

    MSPoweruser is reporting that Microsoft spent $219.1 million on Surface ads in 2019, as opposed to the $49.1 million Apple spent on iPad ads. This represents 23 ad spots for Microsoft, and only 3 ads for the iPad.

    In spite of Microsoft’s efforts, Apple still commands approximately 38 percent of the worldwide tablet market as of mid-2019. In terms of revenue, in recent quarters the Surface accounted for $1.14 billion, while the iPad accounted for $4.65 billion.

    Without a doubt, Microsoft’s advertising is definitely paying off, although it has a long way to go before it threatens Apple’s dominance.

  • Microsoft Slips Ads Into Windows 10 and This Time They Can’t Be Disabled

    Microsoft Slips Ads Into Windows 10 and This Time They Can’t Be Disabled

    MSPoweruser is reporting that Microsoft has—once again—slipped ads into Windows 10 apps, including Mail and Calendar. Unlike previous instances, however, this time the ads cannot be disabled.

    The last time Microsoft placed ads in their flagship apps was over a year ago, in November 2018. At the time, the ads were labeled an “experiment,” and did not display for paid Office 365 subscribers. In contrast, this time around, the ads are displaying for all users.

    According to MSPoweruser, when asked about the ads, Microsoft said:

    “The ads within the app itself will be displayed regardless of which email address you use it with. It is not removable, but you can submit it as a suggestion within the Feedback Hub on Windows 10 here: https://msft.it/6012TVPXG.”

    It’s one thing for companies who provide free software and services to support those offerings with advertising. It’s entirely another, however, for paying users of premium software to be subjected to ads, let alone ones that cannot be disabled. Microsoft is setting a horrible precedent with this decision.

    For a company that has taken admirable steps of late to respect users and protect their rights, hopefully they will reverse this abysmal policy.