TripAdvisor app to be preloaded on Windows 10 devices

Martin Brinkmann
Jan 28, 2016
Updated • Jul 5, 2017
Windows, Windows 10
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Microsoft is giving away Windows 10 for free until mid 2016 to customers running Windows 7 or Windows 8 machines. The move, designed to get as many users as possible on the platform, raised questions in regards to how Microsoft will make money with the operating system if it hands it out for free.

Some suggested that Windows 10 would be turned into a subscription service after the first year period or shortly thereafter, but there is no indication that this is going to happen.

Surely, Windows Store plays a central role in Microsoft's strategy. A high user count not only drives sales in Store, it is also enticing application developers to create products for the Windows platform and here specifically for Windows Mobile.

Microsoft's app ecosystem has been not received the same support by third-party developers that Google's and Apple's ecosystems received, and Microsoft hopes that the all or nothing push to Windows 10, and the increase in users that goes along with it, gets developers to commit to the platform in the same way they commit to the other two major platforms.

Travel site TripAdvisor revealed in a press release on January 27 that its new universal Windows 10 application will be preloaded on "millions of Windows 10 compatible devices".

TripAdvisor®, the world’s largest travel site*, today announced the launch of a new Windows 10 app across desktop, tablet and mobile. The TripAdvisor app for Windows 10 will be available in 47 markets and will be pre-loaded on millions of Windows 10 compatible devices in 2016.

Interestingly enough, Microsoft's own take on the launch of the TripAdvisor universal application for Windows 10 does not make any mention of the application being preloaded in 2016 on machines running the operating system.

No further details about the preloading were offered by TripAdvisor either, which means that it is unclear right now on which devices the app will be preloaded on.

The TripAdvisor deal is not the first that Microsoft made with third-party publishers. Windows 10 shipped with Candy Crush pre-installed for instance, a popular match-3 type of game.

TripAdvisor and Microsoft have a long-standing partnership that dates back to 2013 when Microsoft integrated TripAdvisor's metasearch into Bing's hotel price comparison feature.

There are fundamental differences between preloaded apps and programs, and while some may see the move as adding bloat to systems running Windows 10, apps will only take up storage space but won't delay system start, throw popups on the desktop or run in the background.

For Microsoft, the deal may be less about money, if money was part of the equation at all, and more about getting Windows 10 users to use apps and the store.

Preloaded applications like Candy Crush Soda Saga or TripAdvisor put the focus on apps, and they might entice users to check out Windows Store after all to find other applications of interest.

Windows Store is highlighted prominently on the taskbar and Start Menu after installation.

Summary
Article Name
Third-party app preloading coming to the Windows 10 platform
Description
TripAdvisor's new universal Windows 10 application will be preloaded on "millions" of Windows 10 devices in 2016.
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Ghacks Technology News
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Comments

  1. S2015 said on January 30, 2016 at 6:54 pm
    Reply

    Personally, top or popular apps will be included on Microsoft Store very soon, which make the brand a must-use platform – as it has a user completely covered, from tech to daily life, almost everything that matters a user’s digital world. Such actions or marketing strategy will help gain millions of $.

    1. Corky said on January 31, 2016 at 9:58 am
      Reply

      I’m not sure about it being a must-use platform, just because you give software away doesn’t mean people will use it, especially if the software you’re giving away sucks or if people just don’t like the underlying platform, just look at Linux, there’s way more free software on that platform but comparatively few people use it.

  2. gild said on January 30, 2016 at 9:24 am
    Reply

    “Microsoft is giving away Windows 10 for free until mid 2016” for Win7/8 users.

    I bet Windows 10 will always be free for Win 7/8 upgraders. They’ll push the “threat deadline” further and further into the future.

  3. Jeff said on January 30, 2016 at 1:36 am
    Reply

    Windows mobile? Hahahahahaha

  4. Wayfarer said on January 30, 2016 at 1:23 am
    Reply

    Pointless… I never believe a word I read in TripAdvisor anyway… Just trolls, whingers and advertisers. No chance it’ll remain installed.

  5. Tom Hawack said on January 29, 2016 at 6:28 pm
    Reply

    Why not an official offer to choose between a free Windows OS bloated with the complete MS user tracking arsenal plus preloaded apps like TripAdvisor AND a licensed OS without the above mentioned craps? But having to pay to be force-tracked and now force-fed with Win10 is slightly too much, to put it mildly.

    1. Jeff said on January 30, 2016 at 1:37 am
      Reply

      HERE HERE!

    2. Velocity.Wave said on January 29, 2016 at 6:54 pm
      Reply

      That sounds like a great idea actually. I hope Microsoft adopts this approach because paying to be tracked, along with forced update reboots does suck badly.

  6. Decent60 said on January 29, 2016 at 10:54 am
    Reply

    More Bloatware…..awesome!
    MUST HAVE ALL THE BLOATWARE!!!!!

  7. Corky said on January 29, 2016 at 10:34 am
    Reply

    The question is are TripAdvisor partnering with an OEM and pre-loading it only on their devices or are they partnering with Microsoft, given that the Microsoft announcement makes no mention of pre-loading i would guess it’s the former.

    1. Martin Brinkmann said on January 29, 2016 at 10:56 am
      Reply

      I don’t know, but since they both released a statement at the same time, it is more likely that Microsoft is the partner (maybe with its Surface systems).

      1. Corky said on January 29, 2016 at 11:04 am
        Reply

        I guess only time will tell, although having re-read the TripAdvisor announcement they do mention “Windows Phone users” so maybe they have partnered with Microsoft, aren’t Windows Phone’s only made and sold by Microsoft?

      2. Martin Brinkmann said on January 29, 2016 at 12:19 pm
        Reply

        There are few OEMs and those that support Microsoft have probably not sold millions nor will they sell that many. Maybe a deal for the upcoming Surface Phone.

  8. Bill said on January 29, 2016 at 1:14 am
    Reply

    Not something I’d welcome if I used Windows and it sure won’t tempt me back.

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