Apple Seeks Patent On Operating System Advertising 342
patentpundit writes "On April 18, 2008, Apple Computer applied for a patent relating to an 'invention' that allows for showing advertisements within an operating system. The first named inventor on the patent application is none other than Steve Jobs. The patent application published and became available for public inspection on October 22, 2009. If implemented, the invention would make it possible for advertisements to be displayed on a variety of devices, including desktop computers, cell phones, PDAs, and more. In one alarming aspect, the device could be disabled while the advertisements run, thereby forcing users to let the advertisement run its course before the system would unlock and allow further use. In an even more invasive scenario, explained in the patent application, the user could be required to do something, such as click to continue, in order to verify that they are actively watching the advertisement and haven't simply walked away while the ad runs. Whether Apple would implement such an invention is unknown, but it is possible that they think there are others out there who might want to implement such invasive advertising. It is possible Apple wanted to get ahead of the curve and file this patent so that if any company is silly enough to engage in Big Brother advertising, then Apple will get a royalty. I sure hope this is not the future of advertising."
Very impatiantly waiting... (Score:5, Funny)
.... for an explanation from the apple fan boys why this is so awesome!
Prior Art: (Score:5, Funny)
There is prior art from 2002: http://www.bbspot.com/News/2002/10/bsod_ads.html [bbspot.com]
Oh, no! (Score:2, Funny)
They gotta get rid of Google fascist box first (Score:3, Funny)
You mean the same people who paid to software (OS) and hardware combination and didn't ask Apple what the heck that "impossible to change" Google search in OS Default browser will cause a riot against some ads?
What made me more than angry was the first release and later releases of Safari on fscking Windows had Yahoo search option. iPhone/iPod too. Believe or not, Apple is after couple of cents from Google and that is why they include Google by default. Apple, the 1.6 billion profit making company... I understand Mozilla, Opera but NOT Apple. Even MS is decent enough to show you choices in first IE screen.
Re:Apple... maybe rotten to the (dual) core (Score:0, Funny)
I'm amazed you could even find the power button to boot the Mac up in the first place.
Well, we are talking about a Mac user. If they had been technically savvy to start with, they probably would have bought a real computer.
Re:There are other OS's (Score:3, Funny)
Apple fanbois are Apple fanbois because we prize elegance and design.
Yeah, but what if they are elegant, well designed ads?
Re:I sure hope they get this patent (Score:2, Funny)
Patent trolling, usually nasty, evil and sleazy, is quite alright if it's Apple that is doing it...!
Well, there is always the slim tiny chance they will use it to stop anyone from any advertising in an OS!
(No I will not pay to replace your keyboard)
Re:I sure hope they get this patent (Score:2, Funny)
Does anyone in this thread really think that Apple, a company utterly obsessed with aesthetics, good design, and usability, would put ads in their operating system?
Just means the ads will be pretty.
It's a free country (Score:3, Funny)
But if Apple *does* implement that particular feature, I will join Al Queda. Just sayin'.