Today’s issue of Business Standard talks about a new patent from Apple which seems to put ads directly into a operating system. The part that is galling is where it could interrupt operations such as opening a web browser or launching a program to display an advertisement of some sort.

While I’ll admit such a move is highly distasteful for many, I can see some places where it could be very useful both to Apple and to consumers.

The patent does not specify any specific devices, but after looking at the new iPods yesterday with their built in video cameras I can imagine a whole host of uses for that piece of equipment. Imagine people make a video blog, or podcast on the go then upload it to their computer. But what if Apple offered access to one it’s heftier applications such as Final Cut Pro… just for looking at an advertisement on the screen, before the program launches?

Or how about you’re asked to watch an ad before connecting to a free wireless access point via your iPhone or MacBook? Realistically there aren’t that many free wi-fi spots around yet, so such a thing would be easily useful.

How about a free Mac Mini or iPhone? The only caveat is that you need to watch an advertisement as it boots up. Such things were tried before with mediocre success, such as rebadged Internet Explorer applications that were heavy on advertisements.

While a lot of people hate ads and watching them, services like Hulu.com are proving that people continue to tolerate them in return for free content and access. With Apple’s track record of doing the impossible and making it popular, who is to say that this would not be a game changer for the industry?

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