Ever since Microsoft released Windows 10 a few years back, most people have been happy with its performance and reliability. Granted, the software updates can be annoying, but it is any day better than dealing with the mobile-centric Windows 8 version for PCs.
Even with a successful operating software in the market, Microsoft is still doing its best to keep existing Windows 7 users happy, even though it should be asking them to upgrade to Windows 10 as early as possible.
The company has reportedly announced that Windows 7 professional and regular version users can continue doing so, at least for another five years. Yes, that’s right - until 2023.
This might sound like a step in the opposite direction, at a time when Microsoft has a competent, glitch-free software that has been used by millions of PC users till date.
But there’s a strong case for Microsoft to ensure that users understand the cost of security updates for an outdated software, which is becoming evident in its latest announcement. How it that you ask? Turns out for every update cycle that a user’s Windows 7 device goes through till 2023, they will be charged.
The longer you stick to using Windows 7 and take its software updates, the costlier it will get.
The Extended Security Updates (ESU) will increase year-on-year between 2020 and 2023. The longer you hold on to the older software, the costlier it gets.
Windows 10, if bought individually, costs a lot and unless you’re looking to buy a new machine, chances are you’ll stick with the version that’s available.
For Microsoft, the decision to extend (paid) security support helps them mint more money. In a market like India, people are not only using Windows 7, but still continue to deploy Windows XP, which as of 2016 was running on 70 percent of 2 lakh ATMs in India.
It’s quite possible that Microsoft is done recommending all its users to upgrade, and with this step, it is likely to coerce people into making the move, sooner than later.