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"Tablets have the advantage of free operating system" Which tablets do you mean? Certainly not those running Android, iOS or Windows. In the case of Android,

"Tablets have the advantage of free operating system" Which tablets do you mean? Certainly not those running Android, iOS or Windows. In the case of Android, manufacturers pay Microsoft for the privilege. Android users pay with their personal information and by looking at ads. iOS isn't free either, development of the OS is included in the hardware price. And Windows RT is certainly not free, manufacturers license it from Microsoft.

Osmium 14y ago
Except in the case of Windows, it's not the case that OEMs have to pay licensing fees to put an OS on their tablet, and considering the state of Windows right now I can't imagine even its fees are prohibitive.
ghshephard 14y ago
The Tablet that Linus is referring to, the Galaxy Nexus 10, has no marginal license fee per device. Apple, likewise, doesn't pay marginal license fee's, nor does Microsoft. Laptop Makers end up paying fees per device - typically to Microsoft. OEM Fees are around $50 for Windows XP/Windows 7.
SquareWheel 14y ago
>Android users pay with their personal information and by looking at ads. Are you suggesting ads are built into the Android software? I was considering getting a Nexus 7 but this would totally change my mind.
- Samuel_Michon 14y ago
  Very few devices run stock Android, the Nexus series being the exception. I was referring to one of the most popular Android tablets, Amazon's Kindle Fire. However, since Android comes with Flash, you're likely to see more ads than on other platforms, even if you use a Nexus device.
  - estel 14y ago
    Android has not come with flash since Jelly Bean: Adobe long since stopped supporting it and it's absolutely not available on the Nexus 7 unless you sideload some legacy APK.
    - Samuel_Michon 14y ago
      Jelly Bean is the latest version of Android. Only 1.8% of Android devices run Jelly Bean. Most new Android devices being sold today do not run Jelly Bean and will very likely come with Flash. http://developer.android.com/about/dashboards/index.html http://developer.android.com/about/dashboards/index.html Adobe stopped supporting Flash for Android 2 months a go, hardly an eternity. http://www.pcworld.com/article/260901/android_flash_player_rip_how_to_get_it_now_that_its_gone.html http://www.pcworld.com/article/260901/android_flash_player_r...
      - estel 14y ago
        That's absolutely true, but you were quite explicit about Nexus devices also being included. Edit: Adobe made their original statement that they were moving away from Flash on mobile devices a year ago: http://www.theverge.com/2011/11/9/2549196/adobe-flash-android-blackberry http://www.theverge.com/2011/11/9/2549196/adobe-flash-androi...
        Samuel_Michon 14y ago
        The Nexus One, Nexus S and Galaxy Nexus all come with Flash. And yes, Adobe made their intentions known a year a go, but that's not quite the same as ending support. Especially since many new Android devices will still have Flash.
        estel 14y ago
        The Galaxy Nexus does not (and, to my knowledge, never has) come with Flash.
- lostsock 14y ago
  If he is suggesting that he is flat out wrong. There are quite a few free apps that use ads as a way of supporting themselves but the OS has no ads itself. And you can almost always purchase premium versions of the apps that remove the ads as well. Not to mention with Android there is the possibility of using something like AdAway
- blub 14y ago
  Using Google products with the idea that you can avoid giving out personal information to them is not wise. I was also considering the Nexus, but why bother fighting against the product's design. Still, AFAIK, you won't see actual ads in the OS.
- lnanek2 14y ago
  Yep, Ads in Google search, ads in Google Maps. Honestly, I consider Google Play to be full of ads now as well since I only ever open it for apps and it shows a bunch of music, movies, and hardware I don't want instead until I drill down/search. Someone else in the thread is complaining you can avoid these things if you try, install alternatives, but it is still true Google makes money after the sale, and that they pay Mozilla a ton of money to be default search on that platform, so it is very valuable to them.
  - Goronmon 14y ago
    >Yep, Ads in Google search, ads in Google Maps. Ads in apps is a lot different than ads built into the OS. What are your examples of ads built into Android itself?
    - Samuel_Michon 14y ago
      "Ads in apps is a lot different than ads built into the OS." If those apps come pre-installed, what's the difference?
drivebyacct2 14y ago
>by looking at ads What a load of malarkey. You have full control over how much information you give Google when you use the device. You can even get apps with a throwaway gmail and give them no data at all. Further, there are no ads built in the OS and I never see any, period. It's just like on iOS, I don't know what on earth he's on about.
- Samuel_Michon 14y ago
  "You have full control over how much information you give Google when you use the device." You don't even have control over how much information you give Google when you use their search engine on a desktop computer. Even if you sign out of Google, turn off cookies and use a browser without geolocation. Google will always continue gathering information about you and providing you with custom search results. But even if you could turn off all data collection, the vast majority of users won't know about it. As a result, they pay Google by sharing their personal information, their interests, their location, their contacts, etc. Google's core business is advertising, they can't help themselves.
- ghshephard 14y ago
  The Nexus comes, by default, with google as a search engine, google mail as the mail client, google maps as the map engine. This is something that google pays organizations like Mozilla, and Apple, hundreds of millions of dollars to have on their browsers. The vast majority (95%+) of people take the default search engine and map engine that comes with their tablet/smart phone. Google is willing to take a loss on the 5% who might decide to use some other system (though, given that google makes pretty good mapping and searches, there is a better than average chance those 5% will stick with google anyways) That's why google is willing to sell a tablet for $200 that others might have to sell for $250 or $275 in order to make a profit - they don't have the search engine revenue.
  - drivebyacct2 14y ago
    Again, it is more than easy to use an Android phone without using those. I know tons of people that use Android phones exclusively with personal accounts because they don't use Google for mail/calendar. You can even use maps without giving up your location, it just makes it damn near useless... but again... it's an unavoidable issue. For it to be useful, you're going to give up something, and if it's not to Google, it's to someone else.

Osmium 14y ago

Except in the case of Windows, it's not the case that OEMs have to pay licensing fees to put an OS on their tablet, and considering the state of Windows right now I can't imagine even its fees are prohibitive.

ghshephard 14y ago

The Tablet that Linus is referring to, the Galaxy Nexus 10, has no marginal license fee per device. Apple, likewise, doesn't pay marginal license fee's, nor does Microsoft. Laptop Makers end up paying fees per device - typically to Microsoft. OEM Fees are around $50 for Windows XP/Windows 7.

SquareWheel 14y ago

>Android users pay with their personal information and by looking at ads. Are you suggesting ads are built into the Android software? I was considering getting a Nexus 7 but this would totally change my mind.

Samuel_Michon 14y ago
Very few devices run stock Android, the Nexus series being the exception. I was referring to one of the most popular Android tablets, Amazon's Kindle Fire. However, since Android comes with Flash, you're likely to see more ads than on other platforms, even if you use a Nexus device.
- estel 14y ago
  Android has not come with flash since Jelly Bean: Adobe long since stopped supporting it and it's absolutely not available on the Nexus 7 unless you sideload some legacy APK.
  - Samuel_Michon 14y ago
    Jelly Bean is the latest version of Android. Only 1.8% of Android devices run Jelly Bean. Most new Android devices being sold today do not run Jelly Bean and will very likely come with Flash. http://developer.android.com/about/dashboards/index.html http://developer.android.com/about/dashboards/index.html Adobe stopped supporting Flash for Android 2 months a go, hardly an eternity. http://www.pcworld.com/article/260901/android_flash_player_rip_how_to_get_it_now_that_its_gone.html http://www.pcworld.com/article/260901/android_flash_player_r...
    - estel 14y ago
      That's absolutely true, but you were quite explicit about Nexus devices also being included. Edit: Adobe made their original statement that they were moving away from Flash on mobile devices a year ago: http://www.theverge.com/2011/11/9/2549196/adobe-flash-android-blackberry http://www.theverge.com/2011/11/9/2549196/adobe-flash-androi...
      - Samuel_Michon 14y ago
        The Nexus One, Nexus S and Galaxy Nexus all come with Flash. And yes, Adobe made their intentions known a year a go, but that's not quite the same as ending support. Especially since many new Android devices will still have Flash.
        estel 14y ago
        The Galaxy Nexus does not (and, to my knowledge, never has) come with Flash.
lostsock 14y ago
If he is suggesting that he is flat out wrong. There are quite a few free apps that use ads as a way of supporting themselves but the OS has no ads itself. And you can almost always purchase premium versions of the apps that remove the ads as well. Not to mention with Android there is the possibility of using something like AdAway
blub 14y ago
Using Google products with the idea that you can avoid giving out personal information to them is not wise. I was also considering the Nexus, but why bother fighting against the product's design. Still, AFAIK, you won't see actual ads in the OS.
lnanek2 14y ago
Yep, Ads in Google search, ads in Google Maps. Honestly, I consider Google Play to be full of ads now as well since I only ever open it for apps and it shows a bunch of music, movies, and hardware I don't want instead until I drill down/search. Someone else in the thread is complaining you can avoid these things if you try, install alternatives, but it is still true Google makes money after the sale, and that they pay Mozilla a ton of money to be default search on that platform, so it is very valuable to them.
- Goronmon 14y ago
  >Yep, Ads in Google search, ads in Google Maps. Ads in apps is a lot different than ads built into the OS. What are your examples of ads built into Android itself?
  - Samuel_Michon 14y ago
    "Ads in apps is a lot different than ads built into the OS." If those apps come pre-installed, what's the difference?

drivebyacct2 14y ago

>by looking at ads What a load of malarkey. You have full control over how much information you give Google when you use the device. You can even get apps with a throwaway gmail and give them no data at all. Further, there are no ads built in the OS and I never see any, period. It's just like on iOS, I don't know what on earth he's on about.

Samuel_Michon 14y ago
"You have full control over how much information you give Google when you use the device." You don't even have control over how much information you give Google when you use their search engine on a desktop computer. Even if you sign out of Google, turn off cookies and use a browser without geolocation. Google will always continue gathering information about you and providing you with custom search results. But even if you could turn off all data collection, the vast majority of users won't know about it. As a result, they pay Google by sharing their personal information, their interests, their location, their contacts, etc. Google's core business is advertising, they can't help themselves.
ghshephard 14y ago
The Nexus comes, by default, with google as a search engine, google mail as the mail client, google maps as the map engine. This is something that google pays organizations like Mozilla, and Apple, hundreds of millions of dollars to have on their browsers. The vast majority (95%+) of people take the default search engine and map engine that comes with their tablet/smart phone. Google is willing to take a loss on the 5% who might decide to use some other system (though, given that google makes pretty good mapping and searches, there is a better than average chance those 5% will stick with google anyways) That's why google is willing to sell a tablet for $200 that others might have to sell for $250 or $275 in order to make a profit - they don't have the search engine revenue.
- drivebyacct2 14y ago
  Again, it is more than easy to use an Android phone without using those. I know tons of people that use Android phones exclusively with personal accounts because they don't use Google for mail/calendar. You can even use maps without giving up your location, it just makes it damn near useless... but again... it's an unavoidable issue. For it to be useful, you're going to give up something, and if it's not to Google, it's to someone else.