As the article notes, the increase seems to be driven mainly by users in Asia, where recycling and reusing older hardware is quite common. I wonder if third-party companies are offering extended security patches there, which could make affordable second-hand Windows 7 machines more appealing for people who just need them for browsing or light tasks. It would certainly make sense given recent fiascos and Microsoft’s current stance on AI, especially with generative AI being used to develop system-level code.
They should make a Windows version called Windows 10P which is the same as Windows 10 but only the bare-bones necessities and no extra crap or required online services, and sell it for $59.99 (seeing that Windows is already de facto freeware). That’s probably an order of magnitude than what they make from intrusive advertising anyway to a single user over the lifespan of a computer.
This already exists, and it doesn’t cost $60. What you want is the Windows 10 IoT LTSC Edition.
https://massgrave.dev/.
(Brought to you by Carl’s, Jr.)
Why do you keep saying that? Lol
I don’t know, but I find myself mentioning it often enough I feel like somebody ought to be paying me for it.
I use this on my DJ laptop. It’s nice because it doesn’t constantly bother you with bullshit, and is extremely stable.
Anyone still stuck on 10 who isn’t ready for Linux just yet should give LTSC a try. You’ll probably like it. It’s not going away anytime soon, either, because it is used in mission critical things like ATMs and cash registers that need to just work without being bothered with constant updates and reboots nor being bombarded with ads.
No way they will do that. The value for microsoft these days is in harvesting their victims info and forcing them in to their walled garden.
It would be of lower value to them without the data-gathering and the AI injection.
The data makes them money. The AI helps th justify their investment, but also gives them data to ad to their models.
Computers that are too new for Windows 7 come with Windows 10 preinstalled on them though. Who would buy an extra copy? You can debloat Windows 10 with a debloater tool
People who build their own computers, AKA the group most likely to complain about this
How about a Win 7 Remaster? Since there’s been a lot of them recently.