Campaigners urge EU to mandate 15 years of OS updates
- Reference: 1758022212
- News link: https://www.theregister.co.uk/2025/09/16/campaigners_urge_eu_to_mandate/
- Source link:
PIRG petitions Microsoft to extend the life of Windows 10 [1]READ MORE
The Right to Repair Europe coalition has urged Jessika Roswall, European Commissioner for Environment, Water Resilience and a Competitive Circular Economy, to end software-driven obsolescence by introducing rules that guarantee long-term security and software updates for laptops – and ideally for anything with a plug or battery.
The group says [2]Microsoft's fast-approaching Windows 10 support cut-off deadline is a prime example of why EU intervention is needed: to stop vendors from rendering perfectly good machines effectively obsolete through software support withdrawals rather than hardware failure.
"Microsoft's decision to end support for Windows 10 could make 400 million computers obsolete — not because they're 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 Ecodesign requirements for laptops, guaranteeing at least 15 years of software updates. No more devices designed to break or become obsolete before their time."
[3]
On 14 October, which just happens to be "International E-waste Day," Windows 10 will get its final free security patches. Users who want to stay protected will need to pay for Microsoft's Extended Security Updates (ESU) scheme, upgrade to Windows 11 (if their hardware supports it), switch to a third-party OS, or risk running unpatched software.
[4]
[5]
That leaves hundreds of millions of PCs out in the cold: an estimated 400 million cannot upgrade to Windows 11 thanks to Redmond's restrictive hardware requirements, including mandatory TPM 2.0 chips and relatively modern processors.
Campaigners warn that if even a fraction of those systems end up scrapped, they could create more than 700 million kilograms of e-waste – about 70 [6]Eiffel Towers' worth – while forcing consumers and businesses to buy new machines.
[7]
This comes after e-waste watchers revealed that [8]75 million iPhones could be rendered obsolete – tipping the scales at around 1.2 million kilograms of e-waste – following the release of iOS 26.
Microsoft insists customers have had nearly a decade to prepare for Windows 10's retirement and [9]points to its ESU program for those who need more time. But critics argue the scheme mainly serves deep-pocketed corporates and is unaffordable for most households and small businesses.
[10]Bring back your old Mac: 5 ways to refresh the OS on elderly Apples
[11]Data destruction done wrong could cost your company millions
[12]The end of Windows 10 means early Surface Hub hardware will be bricking it
[13]Everyone needs an AI phone. No, don't hang up, it's true
[14]PIRG's 'Electronic Waste Graveyard' lists 100+ gadgets dumped after support vanished
Alongside lobbying in Commission headquarters in Brussels, Belgium, rights groups are taking aim directly at Redmond. An international coalition of repair advocates has launched an [15]open letter urging Microsoft to extend free Windows 10 support beyond next month. The letter is open for organisations worldwide to co-sign, piling public pressure on Microsoft just weeks before the deadline.
The EU already has draft Ecodesign rules on the table for smartphones and tablets, mandating at least five years of security updates and spare part availability. Right to Repair Europe argues that it isn't nearly enough, especially for laptops and other long-lived gear, and wants horizontal rules that tie software support to the expected lifespan of the hardware.
Campaigners say that without stronger rules, software-driven obsolescence will continue to push still-usable kit to landfill.
[16]
Redmond, meanwhile, seems unfazed by the looming October 14 fallout. The company announced today that it's hiking its quarterly dividends by 10 percent, showering shareholders with cash as hundreds of millions of PCs face forced retirement. ®
Get our [17]Tech Resources
[1] https://www.theregister.com/2023/10/27/microsoft_petitioned_to_keep_windows/
[2] https://www.theregister.com/2025/09/16/windows_10_final_countdown/
[3] https://pubads.g.doubleclick.net/gampad/jump?co=1&iu=/6978/reg_software/oses&sz=300x50%7C300x100%7C300x250%7C300x251%7C300x252%7C300x600%7C300x601&tile=2&c=2aMmJmClL6WNdNYbHw8SvGwAAA00&t=ct%3Dns%26unitnum%3D2%26raptor%3Dcondor%26pos%3Dtop%26test%3D0
[4] https://pubads.g.doubleclick.net/gampad/jump?co=1&iu=/6978/reg_software/oses&sz=300x50%7C300x100%7C300x250%7C300x251%7C300x252%7C300x600%7C300x601&tile=4&c=44aMmJmClL6WNdNYbHw8SvGwAAA00&t=ct%3Dns%26unitnum%3D4%26raptor%3Dfalcon%26pos%3Dmid%26test%3D0
[5] https://pubads.g.doubleclick.net/gampad/jump?co=1&iu=/6978/reg_software/oses&sz=300x50%7C300x100%7C300x250%7C300x251%7C300x252%7C300x600%7C300x601&tile=3&c=33aMmJmClL6WNdNYbHw8SvGwAAA00&t=ct%3Dns%26unitnum%3D3%26raptor%3Deagle%26pos%3Dmid%26test%3D0
[6] https://www.parisinsidersguide.com/facts-about-the-eiffel-tower.html#:~:text=The%20Eiffel%20Tower%20weighs%20about,of%20tallest%20in%20the%20world.
[7] https://pubads.g.doubleclick.net/gampad/jump?co=1&iu=/6978/reg_software/oses&sz=300x50%7C300x100%7C300x250%7C300x251%7C300x252%7C300x600%7C300x601&tile=4&c=44aMmJmClL6WNdNYbHw8SvGwAAA00&t=ct%3Dns%26unitnum%3D4%26raptor%3Dfalcon%26pos%3Dmid%26test%3D0
[8] https://www.theregister.com/2025/09/02/apple_ios_26_waste/
[9] https://www.theregister.com/2025/09/04/windows_10_esu_costs/
[10] https://www.theregister.com/2025/09/13/refresh_an_old_mac/
[11] https://www.theregister.com/2025/09/14/destroy_data_company_laptops_or_else/
[12] https://www.theregister.com/2025/09/16/the_end_of_windows_10/
[13] https://www.theregister.com/2025/09/09/gartner_ai_phone/
[14] https://www.theregister.com/2025/04/11/electronic_waste_graveyard/
[15] https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSdPqsZgjk5qVas5Yd1di9sGvWM8zKhqSVoHRMDQhvr4QI-kFA/viewform?__s=565rjzntkqh966eippoi&fbzx=504767849414422215
[16] https://pubads.g.doubleclick.net/gampad/jump?co=1&iu=/6978/reg_software/oses&sz=300x50%7C300x100%7C300x250%7C300x251%7C300x252%7C300x600%7C300x601&tile=3&c=33aMmJmClL6WNdNYbHw8SvGwAAA00&t=ct%3Dns%26unitnum%3D3%26raptor%3Deagle%26pos%3Dmid%26test%3D0
[17] https://whitepapers.theregister.com/
Yes, your new shiny computerized car will only be supported for 10 years † , after which you are required to get a new one.
† Beware, the 10 year countdown does not care whether you are driving or not. The car will simply stop after exactly 10 years (515360000 seconds).
10 years is pretty good?
The 10 (pref. 15) years should be calculated from the last day you could get Win10 - 4 October 2021 (day before Win11 introduction) - not from first release date. Or even from the last major upgrade - 22H2
I.e. 2031/2032 (2036)
technical plateau
But i guess the point is that with the end of moores law, and the massive increase in reliability of electronic equipment, the duration of 'useable' / 'viable' electronic devices will more and more be not defined by when they are unable to run the latest software or physically fail, but when the hardware is no longer supported by software.
Re: technical plateau
Or when the software 'service' they rely on no longer becomes a viable business model and all your light switches, or you car, stops working because XYZ corp took over ABC corp
More government regulations! That'll solve everything!
Seriously, no, this is stupid. But so is Microsoft's choice. Move to Linux, move to Mac, get away from shit companies like MS.
It will. If the regulation says "15 years", MS will be fined until they manage to support their OS for 15 years. They won't add an if to the installer which checks the TPM version and throw up an error if you don't have it because that will earn them fines. That means computers won't end up in landfill.
See?
@Dan 55
"It will. If the regulation says "15 years", MS will be fined until they manage to support their OS for 15 years."
But is it just MS or will this be some dumbass regulation with terrible knock on effects to deal with what isnt a problem?
The group says Microsoft's fast-approaching Windows 10 support cut-off deadline is a prime example of why EU intervention is needed: to stop vendors from rendering perfectly good machines effectively obsolete through software support withdrawals rather than hardware failure.
No. This is an example of why such groups dont think things through. The machines are far from obsolete, the hardware is still working and as BasicReality said, install linux.
"That means computers won't end up in landfill."
And they would do this because??? Tonnes of cheap hardware still serviceable? This doesnt need MS forced to support it, this needs barely any imagination to provide cheap machines for work, school, gaming, etc.
Apple have always had a cut-off date for Macs as far as OS support / new versions are concerned.
Just Laptops?
...end software-driven obsolescence by introducing rules that guarantee long-term security and software updates for laptops – and ideally for anything with a plug or battery.
So, my laptop will be fine, but my desktop won't?
What's the point of a half-hearted solution? If you're going to go to the bother of introducing these regulations, at least do it properly. Or does "anything with a plug" cover, well, anything and everything else ?
Re: Just Laptops?
I think the argument is that you can update a desktop with new parts if your old CPU isn't supported
Re: Just Laptops?
I think the argument is that you can update a desktop with new parts if your old CPU isn't supported
And the motherboard and CPU which I have just replaced are not e-waste?
Or just hold Microsoft to their "Windows 10 will be the last version of Windows" promise.
Dreamers always fantasize about getting things for free. You want 15 years of updates? Be prepared to pay for 10 of them....
I'd be happy with paying for updates.
Note that update != bug fix If they ship code before it's ready and expect users find the bugs then they can't charge them when they get round to fixing it.
Note also that if they want me to pay for it then update == improvement, and a genuine improvement, not some annoying tinkering to make things worse.
Wonder how many will show up on ebay? I can find a use for a few cheap old PCs
My thoughts exactly, but I'm not entirely sure I need more than 6 computers. I do have poor impulse control though.
A strong case for two track OS development
Debian kind of embodies the two track approach, but at a nation state level it could be a statutory requirement.
You can run 'Unstable', accept the risks, and enjoy the ride—I have, it was fun while it lasted, but when it came down to doing serious work...
'Stable' is as stable does: slow moving, boring, and exactly what you want when you don't want to be called out of bed at 3am because something has fallen over. Again.
Microsoft could easily run a long-term 'stable' version of Windows—call it what you like, how about 'Matt'—that is all about being boring as hell, and stable. Something that does evolve—slowly—with backward compatibility and stability as its core priorities.
Then they can do what the hell they like with the 'Shiny' version. Different priorities, different user base.
Re: A strong case for two track OS development
STABLE?
Are you daft, sir? Stable does not sell product. (At least not more than once,) You must be some sort of communist.
Re: A strong case for two track OS development
Wonder how it's going to be used by Microsoft etal against OpenSource
Debian, hey you need to post enough money into government bonds to guarantee that you will have developers around in 15 years to support every platform that Debian currently runs on.
Redhat, oh you're fine, you're IBM, IBM will obviously be around in another 100 years
An alternative approach
We could wait for the nation state to introduce statutory requirements.
Or... the developers who write applications (which users depend upon to get their work done) could unite around a single Linux distro. (Perhaps something stable and well supported like Debian or Rocky Linux)
And then, users and corporate buyers who have been scared away by the prospect of navigating hundreds of distros, dozens of GUIs, multiple filesystems et cetera, et cetera, can forget all of that and simply install the 'de facto' version of Linux that app developers and support companies have settled upon.
If the app developers kicked back a few percent of their profits to Debian (or whoever), then the devs who maintain the codebase can put food on the table, and the OS could be realistically maintained for years and years.
To be fair 10 years is already pretty good, when you compare it to mobile phones. If only everything was mandated to be supported that long in the tech world.
Smart phones and tables could really do with being supported that long.