Google News News About Windows 10 Overview

Google Offers Free PC Upgrade For 500 Million Windows Users Something has to change. More than 500 million Windows 10 PC owners cannot upgrade to Windows 11 and now risk a security nightmare. Google says it has the answer, confirming a free PC upgrade for all those users. And it’s available now. “You can transform your aging, unsupported laptop into a fast, secure, and sustainable machine for free,” Google says. The offer is to “upgrade” your PC to ChromeOS Flex.

“Refresh the devices that you already own at no cost with a modern, cloud-based operating system that’s secure and easy to manage.” MORE FROM FORBES‘Backlash’—Google’s Unbeatable Pixel Leaves Samsung BehindBy Zak Doffman While this offer has been available for a while, it’s now easier than ever to take it up. “Starting today, a new ChromeOS Flex USB Kit is available,” Google has just announced.

Its new partnership with Back Market “helps you install our fast, secure and free operating system to modernize the PC or Mac you already own.” Google says Microsoft’s decision to end-of-life Windows 10 last October “left many people with a difficult decision: spend hundreds on a new device, or continue using an insecure, outdated one.” Windows 11’s infamously slow take-up meant more Windows users on a retired OS than ever before.

Microsoft continues to offer a free extended support update (ESU) program for any Windows 10 user, albeit that only runs to October this year. After that you’re out of support, unless you work for an organization with an enterprise plan in place. While the ChromeOS Flex “upgrade” is free, the USB kit is not.

“This physical kit, priced around $3 or €3,” Google says, “is reusable, and our partnership with Closing the Loop further minimizes e-waste.” Avoiding e-waste is the other theme here, as well as securing hundreds of millions of devices. The threat of hundreds of millions of PCs becoming unusable has created headlines as various waste organizations calculate the landfill impact. “The manufacturing process of a new laptop is responsible for a large part of its carbon footprint,” Google says.

“ChromeOS Flex allows the already-manufactured device to be used for longer, which keeps hardware out of landfills and avoids the emissions of making a new device. Savings do not stop there, ChromeOS also consumes 19% less energy on average than other comparable systems.” MORE FROM FORBESGoogle Changes Gmail After 22 Years—Why You Need A New Email AddressBy Zak Doffman Whether it’s time to move from Windows to Chrome is a contentious decision to say the least.

The situation for Windows 10 users with PCs that cannot run Windows 11 is perilous. This is at least a solution. Even if you buy a new machine, you can still upgrade your old one, perhaps for a younger family member. Meanwhile, Microsoft is force-upgrading PCs running older versions of Windows 11 to the latest version, ensuring a level security playing field. The company is using AI to assess when PCs are ready to move, applying the upgrade automatically.

While this could be done for Windows 10 PCs eligible for Windows 11, that isn’t being done as yet. Come October and the real end of support, that may change. This article was originally published on Forbes.com

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