The reason for the lawsuit? Not enough people are currently using Windows 11, therefore it isn’t right to end support for Windows 10 at this time. Furthermore, by forcing users to give up Windows 10, Microsoft is strong-arming customers into buying new devices and attempting to “monopolize the generative AI market.”
The plaintiff, Lawrence Klein, owns two Windows 10 laptops and is personally affected by end of support for the operating system. He isn’t demanding compensation, but only wants Microsoft to continue supporting Windows 10 free of charge until less than 10 percent of all Windows users are still using the operating system.
As of this writing, the number of Windows 10 users as a share of all Windows PCs is sitting somewhere around 43 percent, according to Statcounter. Windows 11’s market share nearly caught up in July, then finally overtook Windows 10 for the first time in August—but there’s still a long way to go before Windows 10’s market share drops to 10 percent.
Millions of PCs to be rendered unusable
In his complaint, Klein criticizes the fact that Windows 10’s end of support will result in millions of devices suddenly becoming electronic waste simply because they don’t meet Microsoft’s requirements. Consumer advocates have been fighting back on this for some time, as unnecessarily buying new devices is a burden on the environment.
In addition, Microsoft’s decision to no longer provide Windows 10 with security updates jeopardizes the data security of its customers. Without the updates, they risk falling victim to cyberattacks. This also applies to companies that store sensitive data:
“In other words, Microsoft’s long-term business strategy to secure market dominance will have the effect of jeopardizing data security not only of Microsoft’s customers but also of persons who may not use Microsoft’s products at all.”
Does the lawsuit hold water?
It’s currently hard to judge whether the lawsuit will be successful. Klein is merely calling for Windows 10’s end of support to be postponed so that users have more time to prepare for a switch.
Meanwhile, Microsoft has already announced that Windows 10 users will receive an extra year of free support if they either use Windows Backup to sync Windows settings to OneDrive, spend 1,000 Microsoft Reward points, or pay $30 for Extended Security Updates (ESU). That latter option now nets you 10 licenses and isn’t limited to just one machine.
Microsoft has not yet issued a statement on the lawsuit. However, it seems unlikely that it will be successful in court.
Author: Laura Pippig
Source: PCWorld
Reviewed By: Editorial Team
