Consumer Reports Slams Microsoft for Windows 10 Mess, Urges Extension of Free Updates
upstart writes:
Consumer Reports slams Microsoft for Windows 10 mess, urges extension of free updates:
Consumer Reports (CR), the venerable consumer rights organization known for its in-depth product testing,sent a letter to Microsoft CEO Satya Nadellathis week. The letter, authored by the nonprofit's policy fellow Stacey Higginbotham and director of technology policy Justin Brookman, expressed "concern about Microsoft's decision to end free ongoing support for Windows 10 next month."
Consumer Reports isn't the first organization to come to the defense of the soon-to-be-orphaned Windows 10. Nearly two years ago, in October 2023, the Public Interest Research Group (PIRG) urged Microsoft to reconsider its decision, calling it "a bad deal for both users and the planet." The group warned that up to 400 million perfectly functional PCs could be discarded simply because they don't meet Windows 11's hardware requirements.
PIRGissued a new plea this week, bringing together a group of consumer and environmental organizations, including the European Right to Repair coalition, iFixit, and Consumer Reports.
In its letter, CR argues on behalf of its 5 million members that Microsoft's decision "will strand millions of consumers who have computers that are incompatible with Windows 11, and force them to pay $30 for a one-year extension of support, spend hundreds on a new Windows 11-capable computer, or do nothing and see the security and functionality of their computer degrade over time."
And this isn't just a consumer issue: Having hundreds of millions of unprotected PCs that can be commandeered for attacks on other entities is a risk to national security.
The group cites a member survey from earlier this year, covering more than 100,000 laptop and desktop computer owners. "More than 95% of all laptop and desktop computers purchased since the beginning of 2019 and owned for no more than five years were still in use," they reported. Those members tend to keep their Windows-based computers for a long time, the group concluded. "[I]t's clear that consumers purchased machines before Microsoft announced the hardware needs for Windows 11, expecting to be able to operate them through the next Microsoft OS transition."
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