“Urgent Alert for 400 Million Windows Users: It’s Time for an Upgrade!”

Just a few days earlier, security analysts alerted millions of Windows users about a “serious security crisis.” Microsoft has now validated this, declaring 2025 “the year for a Windows 11 PC renewal.” For 400 million users in particular, this signifies the necessity to visit stores before it becomes too late.

Prior to CES, Yusuf Mehdi — Microsoft’s consumer CMO, noted in a blog that “the most optimal, secure, and high-performance method to benefit from AI today and in the future is via a new Windows 11 PC.” However, while that may sound enticing, the threat is far more significant here. “We recognize the obligation we have to safeguard our customers and their information,” he mentioned. “Security is fundamental to all our endeavors at Microsoft.”

This is the essence of the significant PC update and landfill situation that the Windows environment is now confronting. Gleaming new PCs taking the place of outdated ones, for which there will be no subsequent market. New Windows 11 PCs “represent the most secure PCs available currently. They come with an ever-expanding array of security features that are set to default, intended to greatly decrease the likelihood of advanced cyber assaults, protecting your information consistently.”

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But while Mehdi expresses enthusiasm for the “ongoing advancements in the Copilot+ PC sector today and in the months ahead,” the verdict remains undecided on how swiftly and intensely the new AI functionalities are influencing sales. The conclusion of security updates for Windows 10 users is a separate and far more concrete matter.

“We recently confirmed that following a decade of updates and support, Windows 10 will conclude its lifecycle on Oct. 14, 2025,” Mehdi announced, linking to his own announcement from October. “Post this date, Windows 10 PCs will cease to receive security or feature updates, and our priority is assisting customers in remaining protected by transitioning to modern new PCs running Windows 11.”

This same October announcement also verified the $30, 12-month support extension for Windows 10. However, that is not mentioned here. The emphasis is on enhancing PCs, not on extending support. “As per IDC,” Mehdi highlighted, “almost 80% of corporations are aiming to renew their PC inventory by the end of 2025, and 70% of consumers plan to refresh their PCs in the next two years, underlining the rising demand for secure, advanced AI-enabled hardware that Windows 11 PCs offer.”

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No statistics are definitive, but generally speaking, there are between 800 and 850 million PCs utilizing Windows 10 (or older), around half of which do not satisfy the hardware criteria for Windows 11. Thus, even if Microsoft and Mehdi desire all 850 million to transition, at least 400 million should make a hardware change to stay secure.

Regrettably for Mehdi and Microsoft, the Windows community is thinking differently. The market share for Windows 10 has actually reversed its trajectory and risen against Windows 11 in recent months — not what anyone anticipated to observe. “We believe that one of the most crucial technologies people will look to renew in 2025 is not the refrigerator, television, or their smartphone,” Mehdi stated. “It will be their Windows 10 PC, and they will advance with Windows 11.”

We will see—the PC sector and Microsoft’s security team need a quick turnaround in the Windows 11 versus Windows 10 battle to avert a disastrous cliff edge with countless users suddenly losing support. October is rapidly approaching and that “serious security crisis” noted by ESET now looms significantly.