The Death of Windows 10
- Michael Trotter-Lawson
- 11 hours ago
- 7 min read
Before I delve into my personal experience and opinion, know that Windows 11 is objectively the most secure Windows operating system available (and will be until the next version is released). For that reason alone, upgrading is absolutely necessary; that is why we are pushing clients to upgrade as soon as possible. That said…
Like many people here in early 2026, I own a Windows 10 personal computer. For the last several years, this PC has served me very well. I enjoy video games in my spare time, and my PC can run nearly every modern game at a respectable graphics level, even games that are brand new. Now, I’m forced to save up for a replacement. Why?
There are respectable reasons. My graphics card is older and does not have the capacity for ray tracing, which is a barrier to running some of the newest games. Also, my processor is an Intel i5, which was already slightly out-of-date when I bought the PC (Intel is up to i9 as of the writing of this blog), so it is at the fringe of acceptable these days. But the biggest reason I need a new computer is the completely arbitrary death of Windows 10…and I am not alone in having this issue.
Windows 11 was announced back in 2021, alongside the announcement that support for Windows 10 would end on October 14, 2025. Obviously, there have been many such announcements over the course of Microsoft and Windows history, but this time, there was very little excitement or anticipation for the transition. One reason is just people’s natural resistance to change, but I think there is a deeper feeling of “is this really necessary?”. That feeling is not completely unfounded.
The Windows 11 interface is only marginally different from Windows 10, with an aesthetic focus on more gradients and rounding out the corners of things, including the
Windows logo itself. They finally added tabs to the file explorer, which is nice, but that’s probably the only new feature I ever find myself using at my work computer. Are these changes and improvements really worthy of a whole Windows title update?
Technological Advancement
Is technology getting worse? It depends on the perspective. Objectively, scientific knowledge and technological capabilities have only grown, and they have grown exponentially during the last 40 years. However, nearly every field of technological advancement eventually reaches a plateau of sorts. Consider the car, as an example.
The evolution from a Ford Model-T to the Ford F-150 is remarkable; the speed, power, durability, and reliability of the newer truck makes the Model-T completely obsolete, and that’s without mentioning any of the truck’s hauling capabilities.
When you consider the evolution of the F-150 since then, it’s a different story. Don’t get me wrong, the newest vehicles offer a lot of advantages, especially in the realm of safety features and quality-of-life improvements, but the 1986 F-150 can do most of the things the 2026 F-150 can do.
Some people even prefer older vehicles for their styles and the way they’re often mechanically easy to work on. However, Ford does not want to sell you a truck you can drive for 40 years.
What does any of that have to do with Windows or computers? Well, the evolution of computer technology has progressed at an insane rate over the years. Imagine a change as dramatic as the Model-T to the F-150 every five years for the last 40 years; that’s how fast computing has been evolving. However, that trend has started to slow down, and even if it didn’t, there’s a limit to the amount of computing power and capabilities that the average person actually needs, especially for casual home use.
Speaking from personal experience, my gaming computer at home is just under ten years old, and I rarely have any issues running even the newest software. Plus, most people (unless they’re also a PC gamer) don’t need a computer as powerful as mine. So, if my PC exceeds the needs of the average consumer, and yet I cannot upgrade to the current version of Windows, why would the requirements for Windows 11 be so steep?
Planned Obsolescence
Companies must make money to survive. We all know this. Burk I.T. as a company has to remain profitable for not just my sake or my coworkers’ sake, but for all our clients’ sake too. Our business model is fortunately very sustainable. Our primary source of revenue is the recurring income sourced from our clients, as we offer ongoing support and security services that our clients need. Some companies are not as fortunate as we are.
When you sell a product like a car or a computer, you are incentivized to sell those products more often than consumers would naturally replace them. Cell phones are the most notorious examples of this, as operating system updates make older phones run slower and slower until they are completely unusable. Computer operating systems are similar, but in this case with Windows, Microsoft is simply telling users that their older devices aren’t up to snuff when they try to update.
I look at Windows 11, and I see a greedy, unnecessary change designed to force consumers into new hardware they would not otherwise need. However, that may not be objectively true, and it’s certainly not the whole story.
Balancing Act
It is entirely possible that I am too cynical about this situation, especially with my personal gripes regarding my own PC. Therefore, I sent the following questions to Ben Lawson, CISSP certified cybersecurity expert and Vice President of Operations here at Burk I.T.:
MTL: “Why do you think the upgrade to Windows 11 was necessary?
BL: “Pragmatically, from a cybersecurity perspective, upgrading to Windows 11 is an absolute requirement. Windows 11 is the supported flagship operating system for Microsoft moving forward and it will be the focus for security enhancements, general improvements, and innovations for many years to come. Microsoft ended critical and security updates for the Windows 10 operating system in October 2025. Microsoft is providing Extended Security Updates to business Windows 10 users for annual fee and to consumer users for free under certain circumstances, but these updates are limited in focus and will most likely end in the next 12 to 24 months.”
MTL: “What would you say to people who are frustrated by what they perceive as an arbitrary change that's forcing them to buy new hardware?”
BL: “I fully understand and appreciate the view that systems requirements for Windows 11 seem somewhat arbitrary and unnecessary. To be sure, Microsoft did a fairly poor job of explaining why certain processors are supported while others are not, and why TPM 2.0 is a necessity even though engineers have proven Windows 11 can run effectively without it. At the end of the day, Microsoft has chosen to support and develop code for specific new generations of Intel and AMD processors, and Microsoft has decided to leverage certain security functions in TPM 2.0 moving forward. As the OS developer, Microsoft gets to decide where and how to allocate their resources.
“There are some practical reasons why Microsoft has chosen to take this path with its flagship OS. Let’s start with TPM 2.0. TPM (Trusted Platform Module) is a hardware chip present for most modern computer hardware that supports enhanced security features including Microsoft BitLocker disk encryption, Microsoft Hello biometric authentication, and certain secure boot functionality. Given the cybersecurity threats we all face each and every day, these security technologies should be default configurations for all users, so I can appreciate Microsoft forcing our hand and taking some of the optional security controls out of play and making them default OS requirements.
“Concerning requiring more modern processors for Windows 11, this is a little less altruistic on Microsoft’s part. I can understand an attempt to future proof the operating system and clear the path for more processor-intensive functions like CoPilot AI integrations, but there are older, slower processors that can still perform just fine running Windows 11. Fundamentally, I believe Microsoft had two goals with this processor decision – 1) save development cycles by limiting backward compatibility and support for older chipsets, and 2) force users to new hardware platforms including Microsoft’s own Surface hardware and other OEM partner hardware.”
The Truth about Windows 11
My analogy with automobiles was flawed for one major reason: cybercrime. Grand theft auto is (rather famously) a thing, and newer cars do often include a variety of anti-theft features lacking in older models. However, it pales in comparison to the stakes of cybersecurity today. If someone steals your car, they usually don’t also steal your bank account, unauthorized access to your workplace, and possibly every aspect of your personal identity. With cybercrime? It is not nearly as simple.
Ford is not in a constant battle with a global, malevolent carjacking epidemic, but with the internet and even more so with the rinse of generative AI, Microsoft and other technology companies are in an ongoing fight with cybercrime. So much of the global economy hinges on the security of modern digital systems, and that’s why they must be updated so often. Yes, Microsoft, Apple, Dell, and so many other companies want you to buy new hardware, but sadly, we need to buy that new hardware for our own sake too. Most updates today are security-focused, and the fact of the matter is that no tech company can keep every former generation of their products secure forever; it’s simply impossible.
I believe what makes upgrading hardware today more frustrating is the lack of tangible change. When I finally get a new PC, it’s unlikely to feel any different. It will run the same games, probably a little bit better, but I doubt I’ll be able to tell the difference. I won’t lie; that really sucks. However, knowing the risks of a dated computer and all the things I need a safe and secure digital presence for, I will sleep much better with that slightly rounded Windows logo in my taskbar.