Apple Applies for Ad-Supported OS Patent [Apple Future Mac OS Available for Free; Advertisements to Run in the Background?]

If you were to choose between paying for a computer operating system and getting it for free on condition that you have to sit through various advertisements all day long, what would you get? Apple seems to be interested in developing such an OS as the Cupertino-based company has filed for a free ad-supported OS patent.

This is certainly not the first time we’ve seen this concept but it’s only Apple that filed for the patent. Just a few weeks ago we were talking about Microsoft Office Starter 2010 and Microsoft’s intention of offering some sort of ad-supported Office version which would have a browser-like interface. Did Microsoft inspire Apple or is it the other way around?

But would you really want to have audible and visual ads disturb you while you’re working, watching a movie or playing games? Because that’s exactly what’s supposed to happen once you choose an ad-supported OS! The abstract of the patent briefly explains all this:

Among other disclosures, an operating system presents one or more advertisements to a user and disables one or more functions while the advertisement is being presented. At the end of the advertisement, the operating system again enables the function(s). The advertisement can be visual or audible. The presentation of the advertisement(s) can be made as part of an approach where the user obtains a good or service, such as the operating system, for free or at reduced cost.

Say for example that you’re playing World of Warcraft with your friends and the OS stops the game in order for you to watch a 30-second video that talks about car insurance. I bet you wouldn’t want any of that would you? We’re speculating at this point since we haven’t gone though all the paperwork available nor have we been able to test such an OS yet.

Would ad-supported OS prevent hacked OS distribution? If hackers are available to offer illegal OS right now, who’s to say that they won’t be able to block all the ads in ad-supported operating systems? We will have to wait to see how this one goes folks! After all we’ve seen plenty of cool Apple patents that never materialized in any of the current products available today!