Subj : Forecast for Windows 11s Weather app: showers of ads with a frost
To   : All
From : TechnologyDaily
Date : Tue Apr 25 2023 12:45:03

Forecast for Windows 11s Weather app: showers of ads with a frosty reception

Date:
Tue, 25 Apr 2023 11:42:52 +0000

Description:
Dont look now, but adverts are creeping into another part of Windows 11.

FULL STORY
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 Windows 11 and Windows 10 are getting a revamped Weather app, but the bad 
news is that one of the main changes will not go down well  yes, its another 
attack of the adverts. 

The new take on the Weather app  version 4.53.5109  provides an overhauled 
home page that now allows for tabs so you can easily see forecasts for 
multiple locations. These tabs sit along the top in browser fashion, as youd 
expect. New weather with MSuNny skies and WEB clouds 
pic.twitter.com/UUhEmZmTpU April 20, 2023 See more 

As Neowin reports (via German tech site Deskmodder , and FireCube on 
Twitter), there are further details provided on the new home page too. 

That includes suggestions for your day based on the predicted weather, like 
taking an umbrella with you if a downpour is expected later on, for example. 
The hourly forecast has also been moved and is now present in the left-hand 
sidebar for more convenient access. 

So, thats all relatively good  although were not sure how useful suggestions 
will be in all honesty  but now we come to the bad bit. 

Microsoft, in its not-so-infinite wisdom, has decided to clutter up the 
Weather app with MSN News and adverts. Yes, really. Oh, and the air quality 
indicator has been banished in another not-so-great tweak (got to make room 
for those ads, after all). Analysis: Weve ad enough frankly 

The new Weather app is seemingly rolling out now, so if you havent already 
got it, the updated version will be coming to you soon. However, its very 
disappointing to see more advertising coming to Windows 11 (and 10), 
blighting one of the core apps for Microsofts desktop OS. 

Theres an ad top-right of the main home page, and the MSN News feed  news 
from the Microsoft Network, which is not known for its high-quality content, 
shall we say  comes into view when you scroll down. At least the news is 
solely weather-related topics, so it makes sense in context to a point, but 
its very much likely to be stories you dont want to hear about. 

If were looking at the Weather app, we just want the weather, Microsoft, and 
as accurate a forecast as possible. Not a bunch of doubtless largely 
irrelevant news stories and worse still an ad staring us in the face in a 
central part of the interface. 

Sadly, it seems that this is part of an ongoing theme with Windows 11. 
Adverts have been creeping into the Start menu recently (albeit in the form 
of what Microsoft calls badging, veiled as helping users), and weve also been 
hearing about the possibility of peppering ads into the Bing AI chatbot  and 
now this, with the Weather app. 

Can we just stop this, Microsoft? Particularly when it comes to Windows 11 
and Windows 10, because these  and by extension, the core apps within them  
are products people have paid money to use. They shouldnt be subject to 
further avenues of monetization which clutter up parts of the interface and 
generally annoy folks, quite simply.



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Link to news story:
https://www.techradar.com/news/forecast-for-windows-11s-weather-app-showers-of
-ads-with-a-frosty-reception


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