{"id":50931,"date":"2020-02-03T13:06:10","date_gmt":"2020-02-03T21:06:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/world.edu\/?p=50931"},"modified":"2020-02-03T13:06:10","modified_gmt":"2020-02-03T21:06:10","slug":"why-laptops-could-be-facing-the-end-of-the-line","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/world.edu\/why-laptops-could-be-facing-the-end-of-the-line\/","title":{"rendered":"Why laptops could be facing the end of the line"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"<\/p>\n

Microsoft\u2019s\u00a0recent announcement<\/a>\u00a0that it would end support for users of its Windows 7 operating system had stress written all over it. The company advised that important day-to-day tasks such as personal banking and online shopping would no longer be safe on users\u2019 now out-of-date and hacker-friendly Windows computers.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s hard to know how many people are affected but\u00a0one estimate<\/a>\u00a0suggests it could be hundreds of millions. The company\u2019s recommendation was to upgrade immediately\u00a0and ideally buy a new laptop<\/a>, as the older one might be too slow or not function as well with the current Windows 10, a cost which many people will not be able to afford.<\/p>\n

When I looked into this subject, I found over 100 expert articles referring to the process of upgrading to new operating systems as being stressful for users. One even referred to it as\u00a0a process of suffering<\/a>. The majority of these experts assumed stress was part of the process and offered tips on how to minimise or reduce that stress.<\/p>\n

But do you need a buy a new laptop, or is it time to switch to a different device altogether? Microsoft would have you believe that Windows 10 is\u00a0the last version of Windows<\/a>\u00a0and instead of making new editions they will improve your experience on a more ongoing basis.<\/p>\n

Of course, this isn\u2019t only a problem for owners of Windows laptops and desktops.\u00a0Apple<\/a>\u00a0and\u00a0Android<\/a>\u00a0operating systems also suffer from upgrades to new versions, with regular announcements that support or security upgrades for older versions will end, along with warnings that staying with legacy systems will compromise online security. Simply put, if your bank balance gets raided, you \u2013 the user \u2013 have only yourself to blame.<\/p>\n

It might be true that researchers and hackers regularly\u00a0find vulnerabilities<\/a>\u00a0in\u00a0legacy devices<\/a>. And research shows that attackers are more likely to find vulnerabilities in\u00a0older and more familiar code<\/a>.<\/p>\n

But saying that legacy systems can\u2019t be protected is arguably scaremongering in the name of sales. They are made by huge, rich companies with more than enough resources to create patches and keep our older devices safe. Stopping support creates fear and customers who are more than happy with older devices end up surrendering to pay for new gadgets and software versions.<\/p>\n

In many cases, it seems to persuade people to make the leap of faith and just buy a new laptop. There is certainly evidence of\u00a0a short-term hike in laptop and PC sales<\/a>. But some people have already begun to desert the laptop market.<\/p>\n

Laptop decline<\/strong><\/h4>\n

Research shows<\/a>\u00a0that PC and laptop ownership, usage and importance have declined over the past three years, replaced largely by smartphones. A survey of internet users found just 15% thought their laptop was their most important device for accessing the internet, down from 30% in 2015, while 66% thought their smartphone was most important, up from 32%.<\/p>\n

This has led some commentators to predict the\u00a0slow death of the laptop<\/a>\u00a0because of young people\u2019s preference for and greater familiarity with the devices in their pocket. But a survey\u00a0by UK regulator Ofcom in 2017<\/a>\u00a0also found there has also been a record rise in older people using smartphones and tablets.<\/p>\n

Even for those who love a QWERTY keyboard, you arguably no longer need a PC or laptop thanks to\u00a0the emergence of<\/a>\u00a0better keyboards for mobile devices and the growth in alternative products such as\u00a0hybrid tablets<\/a>\u00a0(with keyboards) and\u00a0foldable gadgets<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Aside from these preferences, there are\u00a0other reasons<\/a>\u00a0to consider not surrendering to a new Windows 10 upgrade and spending a small fortune on a new laptop. Not least is the fact that the new operating system isn\u2019t without\u00a0its own bugs<\/a>\u00a0and other security issues. In fact the US National Security Agency recently found a flaw so serious that it took the\u00a0unusual step<\/a>\u00a0of issuing a public warning.<\/p>\n

So, do you need to upgrade? You might be wiser to wait and see. There are other devices to do your online banking and similar important and sensitive tasks. Your older laptop will be perfectly good for tasks that come with security risks. You could hold fire on giving your money to the laptop makers and sellers and spend it better elsewhere. This is new territory for Microsoft and you, the customer, are part of the experiment (for which you are expected to pay).<\/p>\n

Author Bio:<\/strong> Paul Levy is a Senior Researcher in Innovation Management at the University of Brighton<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Microsoft\u2019s\u00a0recent announcement\u00a0that it would end support for users of its Windows 7 operating system had stress written all over it. The company advised that important day-to-day tasks such as personal banking and online shopping would no longer be safe on users\u2019 now out-of-date and hacker-friendly Windows computers. It\u2019s hard to know how many people are […]\n… learn more→<\/a><\/p>","protected":false},"author":33,"featured_media":50932,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[59],"tags":[12083],"coauthors":[],"class_list":["post-50931","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-science-tech","tag-mobile-devices"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nWhy laptops could be facing the end of the line - World leading higher education information and services<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/world.edu\/why-laptops-could-be-facing-the-end-of-the-line\/\" class=\"yoast-seo-meta-tag\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" class=\"yoast-seo-meta-tag\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" class=\"yoast-seo-meta-tag\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Why laptops could be facing the end of the line - World leading higher education information and services\" class=\"yoast-seo-meta-tag\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Microsoft\u2019s\u00a0recent announcement\u00a0that it would end support for users of its Windows 7 operating system had stress written all over it. The company advised that important day-to-day tasks such as personal banking and online shopping would no longer be safe on users\u2019 now out-of-date and hacker-friendly Windows computers. 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