Really? Seems like ad funded “free” tech products have been the most successful in gaining wide adoption. I’d argue the opportunity for greed in AR makes it more likely to go lots of places, although we may not like them in the long run.
My argument would be that we don't really know which tech products would be successful, because any attempt to create a better product is immediately crushed by a "free" ad supported alternative.
The ad model yields worse product and are actively killing off any attempt to improve, because the majority of people don't understand the downside of financing products using ads, rather than direct payment.
The ad funded model is only successful if you view the world solely in terms of profit. I think Windows is a good example, the product doesn't improve when Microsoft loads the install up with ads and telemetry, but it is more profitable, and therefor more successful, if you're a stockholder.
