picture alliance/Contributor/picture alliance via Getty Images
Follow ZDNET: Add us as a preferred source on Google.
ZDNET's key takeaways
CR says that Windows 10's end of support will strand millions of PC owners.
It calls Microsoft's actions "hypocritical" and cites national security concerns.
CR also calls for continued free security updates.
Consumer Reports (CR), the venerable consumer rights organization known for its in-depth product testing, sent a letter to Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella this 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."
Also: How to upgrade your 'incompatible' Windows 10 PC to Windows 11 - for free
Consumer Reports, CR for short, 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.
PIRG issued 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.
Also: Windows 11 should have been an easy upgrade - Microsoft chose to unleash chaos on us instead
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."
The letter's authors also spotlight a fundamental contradiction in Microsoft's plans. "Arguing that Windows 11 is an essential upgrade to boost cybersecurity while also leaving hundreds of millions of machines more vulnerable to cyber attacks is hypocritical." The decision to offer extended security updates for one year is also consumer-hostile, they contend, with customers forced to pay $30 to preserve their machine's security, or use unrelated Microsoft products and services "just so Microsoft can eke out a bit of market share over competitors."
Also: How to get free Windows 10 security updates through October 2026
The CR letter echoes many of my own criticisms -- indeed, a footnote cites ZDNET in discussing Microsoft's longstanding compatibility policies. Here's what I wrote earlier this year:
That's why it was such a rude shock when Microsoft released Windows 11 in 2021 with a set of unexpectedly rigid hardware restrictions. The requirements were so severe that they blocked upgrades even on PCs that had been purchased new only two or three years before Windows 11 was released. That effectively reduced the support lifecycle to well under 10 years for hundreds of millions of PCs designed and built between 2016 and 2019. If you felt like you'd just had the rug pulled out from under you by someone in Redmond, well, you're not alone.
After all that, the group is making a fairly modest request. "Consumer Reports asks Microsoft to extend security updates for free to all users who are unable to update their machine while also working to entice more people to get off Windows 10. ... [W]e also ask that Microsoft create a partnership to provide recycling of those machines to consumers abandoning their hardware."
Also: Microsoft said these 400 readers couldn't upgrade to Windows 11. They did it anyway
This probably isn't the publicity that Microsoft wants as it urges its customers to buy a new Windows 11 PC. The Consumer Reports brand is also likely to break through to mainstream media in a way that more technical organizations can't.
Will this be enough to change hearts and minds in Redmond? I'm skeptical, but Consumer Reports has a lot more clout than I do, so we'll see. I've asked Microsoft for comment and will update this post if and when I hear from them.