Windows 10 Support Deadline Raises Questions

Windows 10 devices are set to become insecure next year unless users pay an extra fee. But with warnings of 240 million devices "going to landfill", it remains possible Microsoft will blink at the last moment.

That Windows 10 reaches the end of its support period on October 14, 2025 is no secret: it's long been on Microsoft's support calendar and is in line with the company's policy of 10 years support. From that date, Microsoft will no longer issue free security updates.

As happened with Windows 7, Microsoft will offer a paid update service for people in "circumstances that could prevent you from replacing Windows 10 devices." These updates will only cover security issues classed as "important" or "critical" and won't include any changes to features or functionality.

The pricing isn't yet confirmed. With Windows 7 it was an escalating fee of $50 for the first year, $100 for the second year and $200 for the third and final year when paid security updates were available. (Source: theregister.com)

240 Million PCs Could Be Obsolete

That could become a major issue as refusing to update to Windows 11 is often not a case of users being obstinate. Many computers don't meet the minimum specifications, most notably a requirement for a hardware security feature called TPM 2.0. Installing that can be difficult or impossible on many machines.

Meanwhile many users are reluctant to buy new computers for Windows 11 simply because they don't see the changes from Windows 10 as being significant enough to justify the cost.

According to an estimate from Canalys Research, owners of around 240 million computers will face the decision of paying for security updates or replacing their devices. It notes that could mean electronic waste that weighs as much as 320,000 cars. (Source: reuters.com)

Users May Take Risky Option

What puts all of this into jeopardy is the prospect of users taking a third option: continuing to run Windows 10 without security updates. That's a big risk individually, but also risks becoming a major problem for Microsoft. If enough Windows 10 computers are unprotected, any security vulnerabilities will be hugely attractive to hackers and criminals.

The risk of negative publicity from such attacks, and the damage to the Windows ecosystem as a whole could mean Microsoft backtracks on its support plans. That's thought to be what happened with Windows XP, which wound up getting support for two years long than expected, partly because users were put off upgrading to the poorly-received Windows Vista.

What's Your Opinion?

If you run Windows 10, what are your plans for next year? Will you upgrade, replace your machine, pay for security updates, or take your chances without support? Do you think Microsoft will stick to its plans for switching to paid support only?