3 ms·

I don't see how targeting children with an adfree product with the stated intention of turning them into lifetime Bing users (with ads) is improving on Google's

• brudgers 13y ago
  Marketing in the gatekeeper model pitches the product both to children and their parents, it suggests that parents (or schools in loco parentis) are right to exhibit veto power in regards to what children consume. School districts really have no other option - it's potential political dynamite if a nine year old girl nags Mom for Revlon nail polish based upon advertizing delivered while using the schools computers for an academic project. I'm not saying that Microsoft is motivated purely by altruism - however, Microsoft could probably offer everybody (not just students) ad free search and still be massively profitable and there's not a damn thing Google can do about it. Privacy issues are a potential long term limitation on Google's business model and kids grow up fast.
• jabits 13y ago
  Fewer ads while a child grows is always a good thing.
• r00fus 13y ago
  I don't think Microsoft's main goal is to indoctrinate the youth (though that's a desirable aim for them, I'm sure). Their goal is to "cut off the air supply" to Google… just like Google's goal with ChromeOS (and the $249 Chromebooks) is to cut off Microsoft/Apple's profits. As consumers, sometimes we get a nice deal out of the infighting.