Windows 7 is Dead: Microsoft Says Buying an Expensive New Surface is a Solution

Today is the day when the era of a proper PC comes to an end. The era when a desktop computer at home had a towering personality. And a laptop meant you were on the path to success. That’s done and dusted, as we look forward towards an era of versatility, many form factors and mobility being the buzzword. And for that, Microsoft believes Windows 10 is best placed to deal with those challenges. And rightly so. But what do people who use Windows 7 on their perhaps ageing PCs do? Well, there are a lot of such folk out there. Microsoft says you should buy one of their Surface computing devices. Simple. Well, actually no.

While 54.62% of the world’s PC population now runs Windows 10, Windows 7 was still rocking on 26.64% of PCs around the world, thats according to numbers by research firm NetMarketShare. Microsoft says that more than 900 million devices globally now run Windows 10. This means, around 400 million PCs globally are still running Windows 7.

Let us start with what Microsoft means when it says buy a Surface device. This is a message for consumers and enterprises alike, with greater emphasis on the latter. Expectedly so. The pitch talks about the enhanced security which Surface and Microsoft 365 bring to the table. “Microsoft 365 is an integrated solution, bringing together Windows 10, Office 365, and advanced security and device management capabilities. Secure company data, get more done, and inspire employees with modern hardware and software designed to work together,” is how Microsoft describes it.

Also Read | Satya Nadella is Already Using The Surface Duo Foldable Phone, And it is Just Darn Slick

So, let us now look at the Surface devices you can buy in India at this time.

The entry point is the Microsoft Surface Go. This is a 10-inch display and the removable TypeCover keyboard that lets this alternate between a tablet and a laptop, depending on what you want. You get this with the low power Intel Pentium Gold Processor 4415Y processor with up to 8GB of RAM and 128GB of internal storage. The Surface Go variants are priced at around Rs 29,999 and Rs 52,990 and when you add Rs 11,700 for the keyboard, the price tag becomes significantly higher than what you initially imagine. Plus, a 10-inch display isn’t exactly for everyone. Next in line is the Surface Pro 6, because the Surface Pro 7 has still not landed in India. The 8th generation Intel Core i5 variant is priced at around Rs 71,999, the Core i7 version will set you back by around Rs 1,35,990. Let us talk of the Surface Laptop 2 now—the Surface Laptop 3 is not available in India, yet. Prices, depending on the deal on Amazon or Flipkart, will start around Rs 76,900 going all the way up to Rs 1,90,000. You get the picture. And we were told Apple MacBook line-up was expensive. This, while Microsoft will still selling a generation old line-up of most Surface devices in India.

UK based data analytics firm GlobalData believes that 35% of enterprise PCs in Asia still run Windows 7. “We expect businesses in Asia to offset some of their needs by purchasing new PCs. This should reflect in a slight bump in PC sales in 2020. However, most enterprises in the cost-conscious markets of Asia will choose the more cost-effective option of upgrading their existing compatible PCs to Windows 10," Nishant Singh, head of technology and telecoms data at GlobalData, said in a press statement. The firm says that the market for new PCs in Asia was worth $39.4 billion in 2019, with India’s share at around 20% within that.

Earlier today, Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella was in the news expressing his disappointment over the amended Citizenship Act in India. "Every country will and should define its borders, protect national security and set immigration policy accordingly. And in democracies, that is something that the people and their governments will debate and define within those bounds. I’m shaped by my Indian heritage, growing up in a multicultural India and my immigrant experience in the United States. My hope is for an India where an immigrant can aspire to found a prosperous start-up or lead a multinational corporation benefitting Indian society and the economy at large," he said in an official statement shared with News18.