[Throw_Away_1049]

I purchased the new ARM laptop Surface. It’s wild how they attempt to optimize Windows.

>Ads in Outlook. Want to remove? $2 a month.

>Want to use Windows productivity software? $100 a year.

>Want to use more copilot features? $20 a month.

>Want to game? Please use our subscription Xbox service.

Etc etc.

[toast0]

>Ads in Outlook. Want to remove? $2 a month.

Don't let Microsoft touch your email, they're terrible at it.

>Want to use Windows productivity software? $100 a year.

Microsoft Office isn't part of Windows, and Office as a Service is a sign of the times, but OpenLibreOffice.org works ok and the price is better. People seem to like Google Docs even though it's terrible.

>Want to use more copilot features? $20 a month.

Ok, but how much for them to not ask me to use it?

>Want to game? Please use our subscription Xbox service.

You certainly don't need gamepass to game, you can just buy games instead of paying a monthly subscription for access to a selection of games. On the consoles, you need to pay for (most) online features, but not for PC. Although I don't know how many games run well on ARM Windows...

[CoastalCoder]

Sincere question: are those examples real, or hyperbole?

[vel0city]

Most of those are essentially hyperbole.

The ads in Outlook are if you're using the free @outlook.com email address. I'm using it with a Zoho email account and I haven't seen ads.

Windows productivity software? Office? Obviously, it is a paid software suite. Always has been. No surprise they're not giving it away. It is not like this is some new thing behind a paywall suddenly. Sure, back in the day it was pretty common for an average home PC to come with at least some version of Microsoft Works, but technically that was an OEM-licensed basic productivity software suite, not actually free. In the end it was just that Dell, HP, Compaq, or whoever was paying for it to put it on the list of out of the box features.

More Copilot features for $20 a month? It is essentially a custom flavor of OpenAI with some more hooks and context. It is no surprise a hosted AI service that normally costs $20/mo continues to cost $20/mo.

You don't need Xbox Game Pass to play games in Windows. Steam, GOG, etc. all still work perfectly fine without it. Game Pass is all about subscribing to a lot of games, including many AAA $60+ games. Let me know when Apple Music and Apple TV+ goes completely free.

It is like arguing "Want to listen to music on an iPhone? Gotta pay for Apple Music. Want to watch videos on your Macbook? Need to pay for Apple TV+ streaming service. Want to send an email? Gotta pay for an iCloud subscription. Want to use headphones with your Apple device? Guess you have to buy Airpods."

[Throw_Away_1049]

> The ads in Outlook are if you're using the free @outlook.com email address. I'm using it with a Zoho email account and I haven't seen ads.

Not true. It’s baked into the default mail client (outlook). Outlook is now the default mail client replacing mail.

[vel0city]

I'm using the baked-in free Outlook client right now (not the paid Office version) with both a free Outlook.com email and a Zoho email. The free Outlook.com email does show ads. The Exchange synced Zoho email isn't showing any ads.

[Throw_Away_1049]

Good question. Unfortunately it’s real.