Making Win 11 even harder to install is a bold move from Microsoft. Most average users are content with using the OS that comes with their PC and upgrading it when necessary. But if the option is to either buy a new PC or fiddle with registry settings in hope that Win 11 will work, I think a lot more people will start looking at Linux instead.
It’s like they forgot that their monopoly is ensured by their lenience towards piracy and industry leading backwards compatibility. Being consumer hostile this way is unusual from Microsoft but I guess they hope to make it up by making Windows subscription based in the longer term.
Tbh I thought they would have already gone subscription by now. When they announced win11 after saying 10 was the last I was very surprised it wasn’t either free or subscription based. Now I wonder if they will at some point release win12 with AI tools behind pro and make that subscription only.
I use Linux so I won’t be touching it but will see how it goes. Usually end up having to know at least a little about this as people ask me to fix their windows PCs
You can keep using Windows 10 safely on your old hardware after „official” support ends, it’s just subscription based. Some individual customers will probably pay so it’s extra money on top of what they make on corporate volume licensing.
https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/whats-new/extended-security-updates
Extended Security Updates for Windows 10 can be purchased today through the Microsoft Volume Licensing Program, at $61 USD per device for Year One. The price doubles every consecutive year, for a maximum of three years.
Welp. Thanks, but no thanks.
