Microsoft announced it will stop supporting Windows 10 in 2025. Meanwhile, later this month it plans to unveil a major revamp of its operating system.
Windows 10 launched in July 2015, with Microsoft saying it was the final version of the operating system. However, no new updates or security fixes will be available for either the Home or Pro versions from 14 October 2025. What comes next will represent one of the “most significant updates” to the OS in the past decade.
In 2020, Microsoft retired Windows 7, but businesses could still pay to continue receiving updates.
On its release, Windows 10 was labelled “Windows as a service”. This meant gradual updates of software at no additional charge, rather than new versions of the OS every few years. At the time, chief executive Satya Nadella claimed it marked a “new era” for personal computing. Others described it as “the last version of Windows”.
One feature that particularly “excited” Mr Nadella was digital personal assistant Cortana, designed to compete with Apple’s Siri. Unfortunately Cortana did not really take off and retired on mobile this year in April. Microsoft decided to focus instead on productivity help in Windows 10, Outlook and Teams.
Windows 10 issues
Following its release, Windows 10 encountered a number of issues.
After only one month, a lot of popular webcams stopped working with the OS. Microsoft had to patch a bug in encoding videos.
There were complaints from hundreds of users who claimed they lost files, their emails did not sync anymore, and they had issues with broken wi-fi connections and printing.
Some say they had to pay to repair their computers after the update.
Meanwhile, others felt “nagged” by regular alerts to upgrade to Windows 10.
The French data authority also had concerns about the excessive amount of personal data Windows 10 gathered on its users.
The new OS
Microsoft will launch their new OS at a virtual event on 24 June, with some suggesting it will have a name instead of a number. The update is expected to include loads of new features, a more modern look, and the start menu will have a new design.
Microsoft face stiff competition from both Apple and Google. PC sales still dominate the market, with 79.4 million shipped in 2020. However, Google’s alternative, Chromebook, is proving popular, with 11.7 million shipments that same year.
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