Right to Repair Europe NO to end of Windows 10 support

iGuRu.gr > Right to Repair Europe NO to end of Windows 10 support

European e-waste activists are calling on EU leaders to force technology vendors to provide software updates for at least 15 years, citing Microsoft's plan to end support for Windows 10 next month — which could leave an estimated 400 million computers on the shelf — as a classic case of inevitable e-waste.

The Right to Repair Europe coalition called on Jessika Roswall, European Commissioner for the Environment, Water Resilience and the Competitive Circular Economy, to end all this software-induced damage, with rules that guarantee long-term security and software updates for computers — and ideally for anything with a plug or battery.

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The group says Microsoft's Windows 10 support deadline is a prime example of why EU intervention is necessary: to stop vendors from making perfectly good machines essentially obsolete through software support withdrawals, not hardware failures.

“Microsoft’s decision to end support for Windows 10 could make 400 million computers obsolete — not because they are broken, but because of software,” said Cristina Ganapini, coordinator of Right to Repair Europe.

“Companies can do this because there are no regulations to stop them. We call on European Commissioner Jessika Roswall to introduce EU eco-design requirements for computers, guaranteeing at least 15 years of software updates. An end to devices designed to break down or become obsolete before their time.”

October 14th happens to be “World E-Waste Day,” and Windows 10 will receive its latest free security updates. Users who want to stay protected will have to pay for Microsoft’s Extended Security Updates (ESU ) program, upgrade to Windows 11 (if their hardware supports it), switch to a third-party operating system, or risk running out of date software.

This leaves hundreds of millions of computers exposed: about 400 million cannot upgrade to Windows 11 due to Redmond's restrictive hardware requirements.

Activists warn that if even a fraction of these systems end up being phased out, they could create more than 700 million kilograms of electronic waste – about the height of 70 Eiffel Towers – while forcing consumers and businesses to buy new devices.

Microsoft insists that customers have had nearly a decade to prepare for the Windows 10 retirement and touts the ESU program for those who need more time. Critics say the program caters primarily to companies with deep pockets and is out of reach for most households and small businesses.

Hey, legislation that is needed...