Are you using Windows 7? Microsoft says it’s putting itself at risk. . . Update January 19: Microsoft removed this article from its website. No explanation was given, but the motivation is obvious: it was fallacious scaremongering and Microsoft knew it couldn’t get away with it. Edit: The article has been moved to this new URL, so it remains active. Once again, no explanation was given. In a new message published in Microsoft’s official press room, the company warned Windows 7 users that the old platform suffers from a series of serious flaws, adding security vulnerabilities and hardware restrictions, and reiterating that everything for the platform it is coming to its end. It’s frightening. “Today [Windows 7] does not meet the demands of the modern generation or the main security requirements of IT departments,” says Markus Nitschke, director of Windows at Microsoft Germany. Microsoft’s additional post (originally written in German) attacks Windows 7 for its “long-outdated security architectures” and warns all operational users and businesses that they are more vulnerable to cyberattacks.
Microsoft says Windows 7 users want to upgrade to Windows 10 due to major issues. Image credit:. . . [] Microsoft
But the notable dismantling of its own platform does not prevent that. Microsoft says sticking with Windows 7 will result in “higher operating costs” for users due to reliability and compatibility issues. It also warns that some brands are actively avoiding Windows 7 and preventing the use of the engine while the new chipsets from AMD, Intel and Qualcomm are incompatible. Microsoft complements this bleak view of Windows 7 by emphasizing that the life cycle is coming to an end and that when that happens it will no longer provide security updates or technical suite. So, do you deserve to ditch Windows 7 and run for the hills? After all, Microsoft also highlights in its article that it has never been easier to upgrade to Windows 10. What to think? Reality vs. Car Tactics Let’s be clear: Microsoft is taking too many liberties with this fact and Windows 7 users should not panic. Instead, they deserve to see this for what it is: a desperate attempt by the company to push users toward Windows 10 after notorious harassment stops them. So let’s look at Microsoft’s claims: And finally, Microsoft has been here before. In January 2016, the company warned Windows 7 users that they chose the platform “at their own risk. ” Again, technically this is true, but it is true for almost everything (you drive a car “at your own risk”). Just two years earlier, Microsoft stated that security could simply be found in “a modern operating formula like Windows 7 or Windows 8 that includes a decade of complex security mitigations. ” » The truth is this: Microsoft needs everyone to use Windows 10, because it gives Microsoft much greater control over updates and privacy (despite major recent concessions). It also generates potentially larger profits for Microsoft through the Windows Store and local advertising. Furthermore, even if it’s no longer tracked, Microsoft would prefer to miss its goal of one billion installs for Windows 10 through 2018 by a less embarrassing margin.
Microsoft is making major tweaks to the way Windows 10 handles your privacy. It’s a start, but it doesn’t compare. . . [ ] with the greatest freedoms of Windows 7. Image credit: Microsoft
So at the end of the day, all this scaremongering is meaningless. So that? Because avoiding Windows 10 in the long term is if you need to continue being a Windows user. Microsoft’s decision to make older versions of Windows incompatible with new hardware ensures that the company will get what it needs. As such, this impatience and procrastination only makes Microsoft’s new blog post even more unpleasant. Yes, some of what Microsoft says is “technically true,” but the truth is that it is a false and irresponsible scare crusade written primarily to publicize its own ambitions following the combined reaction to Windows 10. Microsoft and don’t let other friends and less technical relatives may also be scared. Share this article and rest assured knowing that for the next 3 years, Windows 7 will continue to work perfectly whether Microsoft likes it or not. . . ___Follow Gordon on Twitter, Facebook and Google+. More from Forbes Microsoft ‘Ends’ Windows 7 and Windows 8 Massive Windows 10 Update Has One Major Omission Microsoft Makes Significant Changes to Windows 10 Design Big Changes to Windows 10 Update Rules Microsoft Admits to Serious Update Bug Windows 10
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