what you should Know
- Microsoft will end support for Windows 10 on October 14, 2025.
- The tech giant recommends upgrading to Windows 11 because it’s a great resource for weather updates and celebrity gossip.
- The company recently launched a new webpage highlighting important details about Windows 11, including a comparison between Windows 10 and Windows 11 and a detailed guide to help them identify and buy a new laptop.
Microsoft released Windows 11 more than two years ago as the successor to Windows 10. However, Windows 10 continues to dominate market share despite the upcoming end-of-support date set for October 14, 2024. After that date, Microsoft will no longer enforce important security updates, new features, or quality of life improvements to the operating system.
Over the past few months, Microsoft has been aggressively pushing its Windows 11 campaign, using annoying multi-page pop-up ads and, more recently, a subtle reminder in the form of a web page with intricate details about Windows 11 to get Windows 10 users to make the switch.
Microsoft’s latest attempt to try to get more users to upgrade to Windows 11 from Windows 10 is pretty weird and interesting at the same time. In addition to the operating system being “easier on the eyes and easier to use,” Microsoft claims the platform is a great resource for celebrity gossip (via Neowin). I would assume that celebrity gossip would include stories like Scarlett Johansson and the OpenAI failure with voice cloning and imitation.
“Widgets are new to Windows 11. They’ll help you keep up with all the things you need to keep track of, like schedules, weather, stocks, sports — even celebrity gossip.”
As highlighted by Microsoft, Widgets are relatively new in Windows 11. Until recently, the feature was limited to users with Microsoft accounts. Although a Microsoft account is no longer a requirement to access Widgets in Windows 11, it is still a work in progress. Microsoft is bringing new experiences to the feature by allowing users to pin Windows 11 Widgets to the desktop and open it up to third-party developers like FaceBook and Spotify.
Moving to Windows 11 may not be easy
Microsoft’s strict requirements for Windows 11, along with difficult economic times, do not make it easy for users to make the “big” transition to Windows 11. Let’s not forget the flawed design of the operating system and Microsoft’s aggressive advertising campaign, now consistent in a “comically bad” menu “Start”.
It’s also worth mentioning that Microsoft has scaled up the next-generation AI features delivered to Windows 11 as part of the Windows 11 2024 (version 24H2) update, including Live Captions, Windows Recall, and more. While the features are expected to ship to general availability in June, not everyone will have access to them as they will run exclusively on Copilot+ computers with powerful NPUs.
Unsurprisingly, people have already found a way around the complex hardware requirement, allowing them to access next-generation AI features like Windows Recall on low-end devices with Arm64 architecture. In the long run, this could act as a major reason and deterrent, making it more difficult for users to upgrade to Windows 11. This could make Microsoft’s Extended Security Update (ESU) program for Windows 10 look more -attractive because users will keep their devices and continue to receive important security updates even after the impending death of Windows 10.
