Microsoft has been pulling out all the stops to get users to upgrade to Windows 10, some more honourable than others.
Now the company wants Windows 10 users to jump on board with the Edge browser and is willing to make it worth their while.
The company has started a Microsoft Rewards initiative, which will enable those who frequent Edge – and the Bing search engine – to earn for their browsing time.
The US-only scheme will cough up credit for Skype, removing ads on Outlook and Xbox or Windows Store gift cards. Members will even be able to spend their points at retailers like Amazon or Starbucks.
To qualify you’ll need to use Bing in Edge for 30 hours a month and stay signed into your Microsoft account.
Also: How to install Edge extensions in Windows 10
Last week, Microsoft was roundly criticized by the Electronic Frontier Foundation over a “blatant disregard” for user choice and privacy.
The EFF said Microsoft is harvesting far too much user data from Windows 10 and encouraged Redmond to halt the practice or risk alienating customers.
Now Microsoft is, as The Inquirer points out, sweetening the pot in the hope that you won’t only dismiss this concerns, but welcome your browser time being recorded.
Related: Windows 10 review – Does the anniversary update make it worth the upgrade?
Are the prospect of rewards enough for you to dismiss privacy concerns or ditch Google and Chrome for Bing and Edge?
At least the Windows 10 anniversary update brought extensions to Edge, so perhaps the diminished gap in quality makes it a consideration.
Share your thoughts below.
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Editorial independence
Editorial independence means being able to give an unbiased verdict about a product or company, with the avoidance of conflicts of interest. To ensure this is possible, every member of the editorial staff follows a clear code of conduct.
Professional conduct
We also expect our journalists to follow clear ethical standards in their work. Our staff members must strive for honesty and accuracy in everything they do. We follow the IPSO Editors’ code of practice to underpin these standards.