Earlier this month, Microsoft quietly added “Windows Tips notifications” to Windows 10, to showcase some of the operating system’s features. There were of course some protests as many of the company’s “Tips” are actually advertisements. Below we will present you with one of these company’s Tips for two reasons:
1. to see the message (security advice) and
2. to highlight once again the company's practice which apparently has nothing to do with the term fair play.
The new message that appeared advertises the security level of the Edge browser.
These tip ads first appeared in early November, and a Microsoft spokesperson said they are actually notifications that will help users discover the benefits of Windows 10.
According to a Reddit, there are new notifications that show Edge is more secure than Mozilla Firefox and Chrome.
The message appears whenever users open any browser other than Edge.
Is this fair play from Microsoft? The company has of course given me the option to disable these tips.
If you don't want to see Microsoft's "unbiased" tips, you can disable them by following the path below:
Settings – System – Notifications and disable the option “Get tips, tricks, and suggestions as you use Windows.”
Microsoft, of course, sees no reason for you to do this:
“As we continue to improve Microsoft Edge, we want to let our users know about the great new features available in the browser and in Windows 10 through notifications. Windows Tips notifications were created to provide quick, easy information that can help and enhance the user experience on Windows 10.”
It goes without saying that Microsoft is betting heavily on its new Edge browser and Windows in general, but aggressively promoting its products could easily become a double-edged sword.
Edge's adoption rate is currently at 5 percent, and using desktop notifications that promote the browser while "burying" trusted third-party apps is not the best way for the company to increase its adoption rate.
