Consumer Reports sent a letter to Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella calling on the company to extend its support of Windows 10 devices given the security threat posed by leaving millions of operational devices unprotected. On October 14, these computers will be stranded when Microsoft transitions from the Windows 10 operating system to Windows 11. Windows 10 is currently used by an estimated 46% of Windows computers, and a significant percentage of these machines are unable to run Windows 11.
Consumer Reports is calling on Microsoft to provide free extended support for consumers who have not — and often cannot — make the transition, and to continue providing that support for free until more users have transitioned off the older OS. In the attached letter we explain why Microsoft’s decision to provide paid support only for one year is a security risk, and how the lack of backwards compatibility for certain Windows 10 machines sold only a couple of years ago is a blow to consumers’ pocketbooks. Microsoft should do the right thing and continue supporting Windows 10 without charging consumers.