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Adrian Kingsley-Hughes
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Google begins shoehorning ads into Chrome browser

By | November 25, 2011, 8:46am PST

Summary: Is this a deal-breaker for you?

Google has started to roll its own ads in the Chrome web browser. Is this a deal-breaker for you?

The ads appear at the top of the new-tab page and currently seem to be advertising Chrome OS-powered Chromebooks.

Here’s what the ad looks like:

Note: I’ve not see the ad myself yet. maybe that’s because I’m running the beta, or maybe Google is doing a limited roll-out of the ads.

So, I’ve got a couple of questions for Chrome users out there:

Poll

Chrome users - Have you seen the new ads in Chrome yet?

Poll

Chrome users - Are ads in the browser a deal-breaker?

Personally, as long as the ads don’t become intrusive or pushy (or crazy, seizure-inducing like the ones in Windows Live Messenger) I’m not that bothered. If it gets too bad then I might switch over to Chromium.

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Adrian Kingsley-Hughes

Adrian Kingsley-Hughes is an internationally published technology author who has devoted over a decade to helping users get the most from technology.

Disclosure

Adrian Kingsley-Hughes

All opinions expressed on Hardware 2.0 are those of Adrian Kingsley-Hughes. Every effort is made to ensure that the information posted is accurate. If you have any comments, queries or corrections, please contact Adrian via the email link here. Any possible conflicts of interest will be posted below. [Updated: February 23, 2010] - Adrian Kingsley-Hughes has no business relationships, affiliations, investments, or other actual/potential conflicts of interest relating to the content posted so far on this blog.

Biography

Adrian Kingsley-Hughes

Adrian Kingsley-Hughes is an internationally published technology author who has devoted over a decade to helping users get the most from technology -- whether that be by learning to program, building a PC from a pile of parts, or helping them get the most from their new MP3 player or digital camera.

Adrian has authored/co-authored technical books on a variety of topics, ranging from programming to building and maintaining PCs. His most recent books include "Build the Ultimate Custom PC", "Beginning Programming" and "The PC Doctor's Fix It Yourself Guide". He has also written training manuals that have been used by a number of Fortune 500 companies.

Adrian also runs a popular blog under the name The PC Doctor, where he covers a range of computer-related topics -- from security to repairing and upgrading.

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RE: Google begins shoehorning ads into Chrome browser
catherinecao 6th Dec
its not a good idea to add adv into browser bcz many people will block it due to the security
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[ul=http://www.idooptical.com]online prescription glasses
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RE: Google begins shoehorning ads into Chrome browser
Cylon Centurion 25th Nov
Um. That's a HUGE deal breaker.

"Personally, as long as the ads don???t become intrusive or pushy (or crazy, seizure-inducing like the ones in Windows Live Messenger), I???m not that bothered. If it gets too bad then I might switch over to Chromium."

Knowing Google, that's only a matter of time. Look at YouTube as an example. The site is useless without AdBlock Plus.
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Contributr
RE: Google begins shoehorning ads into Chrome browser
Adrian Kingsley-Hughes 25th Nov
@Cylon Centurion Yeah, I have to admit that I'm worried about where this might end.
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RE: Google begins shoehorning ads into Chrome browser
Cylon Centurion 25th Nov
@Adrian Kingsley-Hughes

They start off simple, but then they grow.
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RE: Google begins shoehorning ads into Chrome browser
tonymcs@... 26th Nov
@Adrian Kingsley-Hughes

I think it will end where it began - Google is an advertising company. For all their products, advertising is their revenue, so I'd expect more ads.
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Exactly
WilErz 26th Nov
@ tonymcs@...

Apple make money primarily on hardware, Microsoft primarily on software and Google primarily on advertising. Apple can pay for 'free' software for their users with hardware margins and Microsoft can pay for 'free' software for their users with software margins. In both cases, the users pay, the price is just split between the 'free' and 'costly' components.

Users of Google's 'free' software/services are another matter. They aren't Google's customers at all, and don't generate any revenue. That means that all of Google's 'free' software/services are loss-making unless they direct users to advertisers, extract information about users for advertisers or create/strengthen barriers to entry in advertising (which is the point of a lot of Google's 'free' services).

Chrome's primary purpose is probably to create barriers to entry in web advertising: controlling the browser makes it easier for Google to protect their dominant position in web advertising. Apparently, however, Google's management are getting greedy, and want to extract even more advertising rents than they're getting from web advertising.
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RE: Google begins shoehorning ads into Chrome browser
Will T 25th Nov
@Cylon Centurion
Cheers, I just tried AdBlock Plus out, its great!
it literally does what it says on the tin, no more crappy adds in youtube, yay!
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RE: Google begins shoehorning ads into Chrome browser
Cylon Centurion 25th Nov
@Will T

I had no problem with Internet ads until they became intrusive to my browsing UX. Once that happens, the gloves come off.
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RE: Google begins shoehorning ads into Chrome browser
Pretbek 28th Nov
@Will T Everywhere you go on the web there are ads. sad Unfortunately AdBlock slows down my browser. If Google really continues with this on Chrome, I'll just hop back tot Firefox.
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RE: Google begins shoehorning ads into Chrome browser
ScorpioBlue 1st Dec
Unfortunately AdBlock slows down my browser.

I've had the opposite experience since those ads are being blocked from loading on to the webpage.

I'm not surprised about the ads since Chrome is nothing but a big lump of spyware. Money & greed is what drives it.
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RE: Google begins shoehorning ads into Chrome browser
No Facebook Required 25th Nov
@Cylon Centurion

Adblock Plus when used with Firefox is a good thing! happy Just one more reason not to use Chrome.
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RE: Google begins shoehorning ads into Chrome browser
Imrhien 27th Nov
@No Facebook Required Chrome has the same plugin wink
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RE: Google begins shoehorning ads into Chrome browser
jgm@... 25th Nov
@Cylon Centurion I think it's a great idea. I remember the glory days when Opera sold its browser, then a free version came out with large ads in the browser. Now that everything's free no one feels like end-user support is a priority.
If end users aren't going to contribute code to Chrome, then the least they should do is see a few ads.
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RE: Google begins shoehorning ads into Chrome browser
Cylon Centurion 25th Nov
@jgm@...

I still disagree. Knowing Google, it won't stop here. They'll just ease you into more and more intrusive junk.
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RE: Google begins shoehorning ads into Chrome browser
waterhzrd 27th Nov
@jgm@... @jgm@... I don't "have" to see ads in FF, why should I "have" to see them in Chrome? They have plenty of other places to toss ads around, why add it to the browser now?

At any rate, I don't use it because I still like FF better... but it's the whole idea of it that irks me. I'm tired of having "intrusive ads" thrown at us at every turn. Can't just have some ads on the side of a page somewhere, now they gotta be up in our face and personal. Whatever, adblock and FF = NO ads, not even from within the browser.
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RE: Google begins shoehorning ads into Chrome browser
anono 25th Nov
@Cylon Centurion
"Knowing Google"

Their search engine has the least amount of ads compared to others. As for youtube, Google lost hundreds of millions of dollars for years to keep the site running when it had less ads. Realistically, they couldn't keep that up so I would prefer they offer the service and let those of us who know AdBlock Plus use it.
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RE: Google begins shoehorning ads into Chrome browser
Zc456 Updated - 26th Nov
@Cylon Centurion
They did this when they first announced the CR-48. This isn't new. You can easily close it and be done with it too.
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RE: Google begins shoehorning ads into Chrome browser
Lerianis10 25th Nov
@Cylon Centurion

No, it isn't. You watch ONE maybe 30 second add for each 10-30 minutes of show watching. It's not a deal-breaker, speaking as someone who HATES ads.
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They are not talking about video ads
wackoae 25th Nov
@Lerianis10 They are talking about all the static ads (ie: ads on the page, not the video).

But then again ... I could be wrong. I being using Firefox with Adblock Plus, Flashblock and NoScript for YEARS. Haven't seen any crap in any website for years.
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RE: Google begins shoehorning ads into Chrome browser
B.O.F.H. 26th Nov
@Cylon Centurion

I suspect that you are in for a huge shock when you move out of your parents basement... advertizing is pervasive in many regions, both in free software (that which is give away in binary form) and on web sites. If you think that Google is the only site that tracks where people come from and go to, you are in for another rude awakening!

Perhaps you should stay off the Internet (or at least the World Wide Web), perhaps steer clear of newspapers and magazines, buses and taxis, highways, TV, etc.
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RE: Google begins shoehorning ads into Chrome browser
JohnVoter 27th Nov
@Cylon Centurion
Google is using Chrome to push Chromium notebooks, which is roughly equivalent of Apple using one its products to sell Apple TV. If this is a problem for you, I don't suppose you aren't using Gmail, or Hotmail, or Google, or Bing, or Yahoo.
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RE: Google begins shoehorning ads into Chrome browser
amicalola 27th Nov
@Cylon Centurion - Agreed. I love Chrome, but I will drop it like a stone if they ad advertising. Rather see a paid version.
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Choose Firefox
Tim Acheson Updated - 25th Nov
I recommend Firefox.

Boycott Chrome.

Google is a malignant corporation, and not just because they put ads in Chrome.

http://www.firefoxwithbing.com/

#GFail
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RE: Google begins shoehorning ads into Chrome browser
Bradish@... 25th Nov
@Tim Acheson Right. When I see the first ad I am back to my old favourite...FF
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RE: Google begins shoehorning ads into Chrome browser
crystalsoldier 26th Nov
@Bradish@...

Absolutely, me too...except in my case, it will be IE9.
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RE: Google begins shoehorning ads into Chrome browser
Drakkhen 25th Nov
@Tim Acheson . Yep. I use Firefox all the time because we need an alternative to Microsoft and google. We have seen with ie6 what it means when there is no other choice...
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RE: Google begins shoehorning ads into Chrome browser
Zc456 26th Nov
@Tim Acheson
Why not just link to the Firefox site? Feels like your advertising yourself.
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RE: Google begins shoehorning ads into Chrome browser
Martijn2 26th Nov
@Zc456
I think because the regular Firefox download version has Google as default.
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RE: Google begins shoehorning ads into Chrome browser
BR999 25th Nov
Definitely a deal breaker. Chrome is only slightly better than Firefox. The ads will make it slightly worst.
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RE: Google begins shoehorning ads into Chrome browser
NoAxToGrind 25th Nov
What's a Chrome browser? wink
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RE: Google begins shoehorning ads into Chrome browser
rshol 25th Nov
Firefox looking better and better.
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So???
Userama Updated - 25th Nov
Google is not a tech company. Google is an advertising company. It should come as no surprise that they will cram ads into whatever they can whenever they can. That's how they get ALL their revenue! The sole purpose of their "tech"---Android or Chrome or Google apps or Gmail, etc., etc., etc.--- is to funnel user data into Google's data-crunching machinery that analyzes what you are likely to buy and spits out ads at you. That's the way it is.
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RE: Google begins shoehorning ads into Chrome browser
anono Updated - 25th Nov
@Userama
Lots of people like you use inferior products using the same argument. In reality this argument makes no sense for using an inferior free product from Google's competitor because pretty much all free products are funded by advertisement. Just to give a few examples.

Facebook - tracks you even when you're not online. Keeps track of your likes, friends, pics, things you discuss with friends etc.

Microsoft - known to buys data from Facebook (so you can assume they have whatever data Facebook has accessible to them at the right price). Has their own ad email, ad funded apps, ad funded search engine. Has their own mobile OS (WP7) and they even try their best to not allow you to change search engines so you basically have no option but to send them data.

etc.
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RE: Google begins shoehorning ads into Chrome browser
Stan57 25th Nov
@Userama
Well just because thats the way it is doesn't mean we who choose to can voice our displeasure. Me i could care less, i don't use google products anymore they just cant be trusted and googles free is too high a price to pay.
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Opera tried this tactic a few years back...
wizard57m@... 25th Nov
around version 6 or so...free ad supported. Didn't take Opera long to figure out
that this is a bad move, and now offer their browser completely free.
Google is going in the opposite direction...but they are basically an advertising
company with a search engine anymore!
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RE: Google begins shoehorning ads into Chrome browser
jgm@... 25th Nov
@wizard57m@... It was an AWESOME move (I paid for every version). They offer the browser for free because almost all of their revenue was being generated by sales to mobile/consumer product manufacturers and they didn't need to sell the browser anymore.
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RE: Google begins shoehorning ads into Chrome browser
anono Updated - 25th Nov
@wizard57m@...
All browsers are essentially ad funded. How do you think Firefox makes its money? They allow Google, MS etc. to bid to have their search engine advertised in the search box. Opera I would assume is operating under the same model. Chrome was actually the only browser that was advertisement free because it always asked me for what I wanted as my default search engine thus not advertising any specific one.
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Actually, Google and MS Bing pay per usage
wackoae 25th Nov
@anono Firefox gets a little $$$ for every time people use the search service via the tool bar.

That is not the same as being ad funded. Ad funded means the browser will display an ad when you use it ..... not the same as displaying ads on a page.
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It's gone
stephen.feltmate@... 25th Nov
I won't have this on my network or my home PC. The intention of a browser is not to serve as an advertising platform. This is one annoyance that we need to nip in the bud; otherwise, there is the risk that other software vendors will start doing the same thing and turn our work environments into Madison Avenue. Not having it.
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RE: Google begins shoehorning ads into Chrome browser
jgm@... 25th Nov
@stephen.feltmate@... Then pay for it. Why is it the obligation of Google to provide you a free browser?
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RE: Google begins shoehorning ads into Chrome browser
stephen.feltmate@... 27th Nov
@jgm@... It's not. They can do what they want with it. I won't have ads in any browser on my network. Nothing against the free market, Ms.Rand happy Just exercising my discretion.
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Who's to say what the intention is?
otaddy 26th Nov
@stephen.feltmate@...
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RE: Google begins shoehorning ads into Chrome browser
stephen.feltmate@... 27th Nov
@otaddy You are right. The intention of a browser is in fact to push targetted advertising all day to everyone who uses a browser for business or personal reasons with the intention of increasing the value of the manufacturer's advertising services thus turning the entire installed user base into a virtual shopping centre.
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RE: Google begins shoehorning ads into Chrome browser
Cylon Centurion 25th Nov
Microsoft was spot on when they created this image:

winrumors.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/11/microsoftgoogleadmosphere.jpg

But at the same time, Microsoft is no saint either. *cough* WLM *cough* Skype *cough*
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RE: Google begins shoehorning ads into Chrome browser
anono 25th Nov
@Cylon Centurion
Huh. Now if that message was to consumers that might make some sense although not really since I see much less ads on Google than Bing. The only reason businesses on Google pay much more per click is because Google's advertisement network brings them much better value. The message to MS is clear. Bring businesses better value and you'll see your search revenue go up too. Untill then, you'll continue to only have 1/6 of the revenue despite having 1/3 of the market share and showing way more ads.
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RE: Google begins shoehorning ads into Chrome browser
sjaak327 25th Nov
Not for me, I don't touch google's software or online services, I do know how exactly Google makes money..
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RE: Google begins shoehorning ads into Chrome browser
Alan Smithie 25th Nov
There is always chromium.
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RE: Google begins shoehorning ads into Chrome browser
mibjr 25th Nov
You pretty much echoed my views on this matter:

"Personally, as long as the ads don???t become intrusive or pushy (or crazy, seizure-inducing like the ones in Windows Live Messenger) I???m not that bothered."

This.

Two types of advertisements I CANNOT stand more than anything, are:

1. Ads that load up right after the page is displayed, taking up the whole browser preventing you from getting to the content you want to see. Then forcing you to go on some kind of quest to hunt for the ad's Close (X) button which could be just about anywhere and ridiculously small because it was added to the ad as an afterthought. I. Really. Hate. That.

2. Adds that play video and sound with no option of turning it OFF. Well, mostly sound. Some pages display video with the sound turned off but give you the option of turning it on if the add piques your curiosity, same way YouTube does for example. However...when I'm reading a page online, I really don't want to hear some lady talking in the background about how Colgate whitens her teeth because she decided to brush or whatever. Or some dude asking me to check with my doctor before using the next Botox knock-off. If you have to play the ads, fine, but please give us an OFF button.
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RE: Google begins shoehorning ads into Chrome browser
Playdrv4me 26th Nov
@mibjr

I don't think Google will ever resort to using either type of ad. I've only ever come across the ones that blast a sound-clip in particular, in particularly umm... seedy parts of the web. I can not imagine a mainstream web browser EVER resorting to such tactics.
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RE: Google begins shoehorning ads into Chrome browser
PB_z 27th Nov
@mibjr Agree, ads with sound are the worst. In fact, any kind of automatic sound is terrible. abcnews.com, for example: I'll go to their home page, middle click a bunch of links for articles I want to read, and then hear sound (sometimes multiple at once on top of each other), then I have to go clicking through all the new tabs searching for the one that's playing sound. Often it's an auto-playing video in the page, which of course begins with an advertisement.
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RE: Google begins shoehorning ads into Chrome browser
DJK2 25th Nov
Won't bother me, google is a thing of the past for me ... my add revenue goes to bing happy
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RE: Google begins shoehorning ads into Chrome browser
catherinecao 6th Dec
its not a good idea to add adv into browser bcz many people will block it due to the security
---------------
[ul=http://www.idooptical.com]online prescription glasses

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