As Windows 11 continues closing the gap with Windows 10, concerns for the future are growing for millions of users. Support for Windows 10 is due to end this October, and millions of PCs may be outdated, which translates to more e-waste.
Windows 11 Market Growth
This trend is evident in the latest statistics from StatCounter, which shows that Windows 11 gained a 35.55% market share by October, while Windows 10 continued to decline, now at 60.97%—down from 69.9% in April. Although this is positive for Windows 11, the latter still has a challenge in overtaking the popularity of Windows 10, and whether it will dominate the market before the free updates of Windows 10 end is not clear.
To reduce security threats after 2025, Microsoft intends to offer life after the end support of Windows 10: free-of-cost for individual users at thirty dollars and free of charge for business as well and a dollar for the school: in the first year of course. Others, though, find this not to be enough. In 2023 PIRG was saying that “Extend support on Windows 10 free for millions of computers to reduce wastage”.
He quoted, “Microsoft’s proposal threatens to turn 400 million working computers into garbage, contrary to its pledges on sustainability and at consumer expense.”
The latest version of the Microsoft Windows 11 that is available, version 24H2, brought improvements in the form of Rust language support in the Windows kernel, SHA-3 compatibility, and a Sudo-like command-line tool. However, its very heavy hardware requirements prevent most able older PCs from being upgraded with Windows 11, thus creating frustration for the users who have no alternative but to stick with it, fueling the discussion about how long devices should last and what their environmental impact is.
