14 DAY TRIAL // Windows 7 will reach the end of life tomorrow on January 14, after which the operating system will no longer receive any other security patches.
While Microsoft has long been recommending Windows 10 to everyone still running Windows 7, the company now has a different idea: go buy a Surface and you’ll be fully covered.
On a page dedicated to the migration from Windows 7 to Windows 10 on a Surface, Microsoft highlights the capabilities of its own devices, emphasizing that getting a Surface will make you “ready for the future.”
“After January 14, 2020, security updates or support for PCs running Windows 7 will no longer be provided. With a shift to Surface and Microsoft 365, your company devices will have security built in and your business will be ready for the future,” Microsoft says.
New hardware required
While the switch from Windows 7 to Windows 10 without hardware upgrades isn’t impossible given the two share nearly the same system requirements, Microsoft says that a Surface allows you to enjoy the full package.
“All PCs that are more than four years old can cost you more than you realize. PCs older than four years are 3x as likely to need repairs, resulting in 128 hours of lost productivity — a cost of both time and money. Maintaining and repairing those devices can add up to $515 per PC a year. New Surface devices cost less than that of the average PC eight years ago,” the company notes.
Windows 10 does come with features that require new hardware, such as Windows Hello (Microsoft’s biometric authentication system that needs special cameras and fingerprint readers to work).
It remains to be seen how fast the Windows 7 userbase would shrink, but given that more than 26 percent of the world’s computers still run it, convincing everyone to upgrade (and buy a Surface) will be quite a challenge.