Microsoft is trying to boost the PC market with artificial intelligence and Windows 11, but the side effect of these moves could be a long-term trip to the landfill for many PCs.
“Windows 11 itself will not have a direct impact on e-waste,” said Kieren Jessop, an analyst at global market research firm Canalys. “But because of its hardware requirements, it can indirectly increase e-waste,” he told TechNewsWorld. “A significant portion of the global installed base cannot be upgraded to Win11 due to the Win11 TPM 2.0 security chip.”
He noted that Canalys estimates that about 20% of the world’s Windows install base is unable to update its more than 200 million devices.
Most of these devices run Windows 10, for which Microsoft will end support in October 2025. “These devices will not become obsolete after Win10 ends support,” Jessop noted. “And consumers are partly indifferent to using an outdated version of Windows. But for businesses with older PCs, Win10 EoS is forcing many to buy new hardware.
240 million PCs headed for landfill
Jessop and fellow analyst Ben Caddy published report in December that found that When Microsoft ends support for Windows 10, about a fifth of the world’s Windows 10 devices — about 240 million — will be e-waste
Most of those 240 million computers can be recycled , but the a report says that incompatibility with the latest supported version of Windows will significantly reduce their value in refurbishing and resale.
Many of the 240 million PCs will be around for years to come, but demand for devices Microsoft no longer supports is minimal — even the tightest IT budgets scare companies away from free, ongoing security updates, it added.
“Organizations with fully functional Windows 10 PCs will be forced to prematurely retire their devices when the operating system vendor stops supporting those devices — particularly ongoing security updates,” Caddy told TechNewsWorld.
While Microsoft offers extended security updates three years after Win10’s end-of-life date, Caddy said the high price tag makes extending the life of Win10 computers even more attractive.
First year upgrades are $61 per Windows 10 device. It rises to $122 in the second year and $244 in the third year.
Bonanza for Landfills
“Businesses want their devices to always have the latest security updates and features, so even if they work, older hardware is considered obsolete,” said Jacob Kalvo, co-founder and CEO of Live Proxy . provider of proxy solutions in Studio City, California
He explained that Microsoft has significantly increased the hardware requirements for Windows 11 compared to Windows 10. “This means that a large number of computers can run every day-to-day application, but if Windows 11 fails, the spec is at risk,” he told TechNewsWorld.
Win10 end of support is not just a throwaway victory. “Due to high demand during Covid, many companies are having to upgrade their computer fleet,” explained Jessop.
This, along with the end of support for Windows 10, will boost PC sales in the coming months. “A Canalys survey of channel partners found that 73% of partners expect Win10 EoS to impact their customers’ upgrade plans in the next 12 months,” said Jessop.
Even if Microsoft doesn’t stop supporting Win10, the rise of artificial intelligence will make Win10 hardware obsolete. “As AI-based applications and features become the norm, older computers won’t be able to run them efficiently,” Balvo said.
This is happening more and more often as more AI functionality moves from the cloud to the device. “The ability of AI computers to make inferences about a device offers a number of benefits, including lower polling costs, lower latency, unlimited customization, increased availability—no Internet connection required—and improved privacy and security,” Jessop noted.
He added that AI inference can be 75% more cost-effective when done on-premises than in the cloud, and that 83% of enterprise CIOs expect AI workloads to return to the public cloud this year.
Cascading computers
But Russ Ernst, CTO of Blancco Technology Group, a global specialist in data wiping and mobile phone diagnostics, argued that companies are trying to get more mileage out of their legacy hardware, not less.
“There is pressure in the way companies do business now to keep machines longer,” he told TechNewsWorld. “The desire is to move away from the strict three-year life cycle and keep machines connected for four, five years or longer. Some OEMs, like HP, are starting to think about a seven-year life cycle. It’s incredibly long.”
“Traditionally, when a machine is used for three years, that’s it,” he continued. “Now organizations are challenged to look at system requirements outside of time.”
One option is hardware to extend the life is a “cascade system” that requires knowledge of the accounting requirements of different business units do not match,” he said. “But I can do everything from machine design to marketing.”
A lesson in sustainability
The amount of e-waste generated after the end of Windows 10 support highlights the role of both hardware and operating system vendors in maximizing the lifespan of products, says a Canalys report.
To facilitate the circular economy, OEMs must consider durability, repairability and reusability in the design of their devices, and operating system vendors must ensure that these devices are usable and secure for as long as possible.
“While retailers have a role to play in reducing e-waste, the responsibility is shared between manufacturers, consumers and decision makers,” said Jessop. “Suppliers can contribute by designing products to last, offering repair services and providing software updates over a longer period of time. However, consumers have an important role to play in making informed purchasing decisions and properly disposing of devices.
” Computer AI has prompted many vendors to launch multifaceted marketing campaigns that focus on artificial intelligence, but also on the durability of their new hardware,” he noted.
Caddy pointed out that the useful life of the equipment depends on the purchase and replacement cycles of consumers and on the IT procurement cycles of the organizations themselves. “But,” he said, “computer vendors have a responsibility to ensure that devices work efficiently for as long as possible. That requires devices to be durable, easy to disassemble and repair at the hardware store, Windows 10 End.”
“However,” he continued, “device life is also strongly influenced by the actions of operating system manufacturers such as Microsoft and Apple. The end of operating system support can force robust, repairable and functional devices into early retirement, often due to security issues caused by an outdated operating system..
