They have standalone computer apps? Why wouldn't people just use the websites?

i guess not enough people were clicking on the installer stubs (start menu shortcuts that trigger the app install) they already have been using.

I wish it came with an installer stub for linux.

People would just do that, but an app can harvest soooo much more telemetry data. Business executives will claim the app provides a "richer experience," by which they mean they'll experience getting richer by harvesting more customer data to sell.

It’s like that trade-off meme; you get the resolution and bandwidth you pay for, Netflix gets all of your Telemetry data.

I may be mistaken, but I remember reading a while back that browsers are limited to 720p or 1080p for Netflix, only their apps have access to 4K, higher bitrates etc.

This and so many other reasons to pick a Linux distro and never look back.

They do, the UEFI.

How nice, they will look good with the 100 other pieces of bloatware.

For an OS losing market share fast, they really don't give a shit about retainment. Maybe they are banking on Bing and genocide...

Windows 10 did/does that, too... but it doesn't ask

Wow so thoughtful of them

Also creates a self sense of commitment so abandoning rates are lower. There is no friction in closing a tab as it is in uninstalling an app.

Real answer is likely that we're so inundated with apps being a solution that most common people wouldn't even think to use the website. Most people aren't tech literate enough to know that their computer is still on, even when the screen goes black from inactivity. Same for phones. For this majority, the solution they're presented with of the Microsoft Store is their go-to, and they don't even know what an Operating System is.

I feel compelled to link this comic page here, even if most of us aren't experts. I think it still applies: https://xkcd.com/2501/

For an OS losing market share fast

Where did you get that idea from?

And you can just leave it unchecked.

If TikTok and Netflix want to pay for that, they should go ahead. Nobody will enable it anyway.

And they can screw over the web experience, by offering lower bitrate and missing features, even if the app is just a browser, too.

Wishful thinking probably...

Going the opposite direction.. Winhance enables you to uninstall some of the bloatware that comes prepackaged with windows that there’s no choice for

Yeah, there are a couple of programs that turn off things like ad tracking and telemetry in Windows. I also use Chocolatey to install software, most of it open-source (Firefox, VLC, etc).