Microsoft’s recent announcement that it will stop supporting its Windows 7 operating system created stress for its users. The company reported that important everyday tools, such as personal banking and online shopping, would no longer be safe on Windows 7 computers, now obsolete and fertile land for hackers.
It is difficult to know how many the measure affects, but an estimate suggests that they could be Hundreds of millions.
The company’s recommendation was to implement the update immediately and ideally buy a new laptop, since the previous one could be too slow or not work as well with the Windows 10 current, but that is an expense that many will not be able to face.
When I examined this topic, I found more than 100 items of experts who ensure that the process of moving to new operating systems is stressful for users.
One even described this process as “suffering.” Most of these experts assumed that stress was part of this transformation and offered advice on how to minimize or reduce that stress.
The process of updating to new operating systems is stressful for users.
But is it really necessary to buy a new laptop? Or is it time for us to switch to a completely different device?
Security and protection of old devices
Microsoft wants you to believe that Windows 10 is the latest version of Windows and, instead of making new editions, it will improve your experience more continuously. Of course, this is not just a problem for Windows laptop owners.
The operating systems of Apple and Android They must also be updated, and it is regularly announced that support for previous versions will be discontinued and that if users continue to use them, their security is not guaranteed. Simply put, if you are robbed of online banking, the fault, user, is yours.
How true is it that older devices are more vulnerable to hackers?
It may be true that researchers and hackers regularly encounter vulnerabilities in old devices. Research shows that hackers are more likely to find weaknesses in older codes and those that are more familiar to them.
But to say that these systems cannot be protected is possibly an alarmism in Name of sales They are made by large and rich companies with more than enough resources to create patches and keep our older devices safe.
Stopping support creates fear for users and customers who are happy with older devices end up giving up and paying for devices and versions of new software
In many cases, it seems they were trying to convince users to buy a new laptop in an act of faith. Certainly, there is evidence of a short-term increase in sales of these computers. But some people have already begun to leave this market.
Less and less present
Research done in this regard shows that the ownership, use and importance of laptops has declined over the past three years, being largely replaced by smartphones.
A survey of internet users found that only the fifteen% I thought your laptop was your most important device to access the network, compared to the 30% who thought so in 2015, Meanwhile he 66% He thought his smartphone was the most important way, compared to the 32% what I thought so in 2015.
There has been a record increase in older people using smartphones and tablets.
This has led some to predict the slow death of the laptop, due to the preferences of young people and a greater familiarity of users in general with handheld devices.
A survey conducted by British regulator Ofcom in 2017 also detected a record increase in older people who use smartphones and tablets.
It is possible that even QWERTY keyboard lovers (the most common) do not need a laptop. And it is that the keyboards for mobile devices are getting better and there are alternative products on the market, such as hybrid tablets (with keyboards) and folding devices.
In recent years, the tablet market has consistently increased.
But there are also other reasons not to give up on a new Windows 10 update and end up spending a small fortune on a new laptop.
No less important is the fact that the new operating system is not free from errors and other security problems. In fact, the United States National Security Agency recently found a fault so serious that, in an almost unusual way, issued a public warning.
So do you need to change computers? Maybe the smartest thing is to wait and see. There are other devices to perform procedures such as online banking, and your old laptop will work perfectly for tasks that involve security risks.
Instead of giving money to manufacturers and vendors of laptops, you could spend it elsewhere. This is a new territory for Microsoft and you, the customer, are part of the experiment. * This article was written by Paul Levy, a researcher in innovation management at Brighton University. You can read the original article in The Conversation here. (I)
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