translated from Spanish: Why laptops are on their way to their demise

Microsoft’s recent announcement that it will stop supporting its Windows 7 operating system created stress for its users.
The company reported that important everyday tools, such as personal banking and online shopping, would no longer be secure on Windows 7 computers, now obsolete and fertile land for hackers.
It’s hard to know how many the measure affects, but one estimate suggests it could be hundreds of millions.
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The company’s recommendation was to implement the update immediately and ideally buy a new laptop, as the previous one might be too slow or not work as well with the current Windows 10, but that’s an expense that many won’t be able to cope.
When I examined this topic, I found more than 100 expert articles that ensure that the process of moving to new operating systems is stressful for users.
One even called this process “suffering.” Most of these experts assumed that stress was part of this transformation and offered advice on how to minimize or reduce that stress.
The process of upgrading to new operating systems is stressful for users.But is it really necessary to buy a new laptop? Or is it time for us to switch to a completely different device?
Security and protection of old devices
Microsoft wants you to believe that Windows 10 is the latest version of Windows, and instead of making new edits, it will improve your experience more continuously.
Of course, this is not just a problem for Windows laptop owners.
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Apple and Android operating systems also need to be updated, and it is regularly announced that previous versions will no longer be supported and that if users continue to use them their security is not guaranteed.
Simply put, if you get robbed of online banking, the fault, user, is yours.
How true is it that older devices are more vulnerable to hackers? It may be true that researchers and hackers regularly find vulnerabilities in old devices. Research shows that Hackers are more likely to find weaknesses in older codes and those that are more familiar to them.
But to say that these systems cannot be protected is possibly an alarmism in the name of sales.
They are made by large and rich companies with more than enough resources to create patches and keep our older devices safe.
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Stopping support raises fear for users and customers who are happy with older devices end up giving up and paying for devices and versions of SoftwareNew.
In many cases, it seems that they were trying to convince users to buy a new laptop in an act of faith.
Certainly, there is evidence of a short-term increase in sales of these computers.
But some people have already started to leave this market.
Less and less present
Research on this issue shows that the ownership, use and importance of laptops has declined over the past three years, being largely replaced by smartphones.
A survey of internet users found that only 15% thought their laptop was their most important device to access the network, compared to 30% that way in 2015, while 66% thought their smartphone was the most im way compared to 32% who thought so in 2015.
There has been a record increase in older people using smartphones and tablets. This has led some to predict slow laptop death, due to youth preferences and a greater familiarity of users in general with pocket devices.
A survey conducted by British regulator Ofcom in 2017 also found a record increase in older people using smartphones and tablets.
Even QWERTY keyboard lovers (the most common) may not need a laptop.
Mobile keyboards are getting better and there are alternative products on the market, such as hybrid tablets (with keyboards) and folding devices.
In recent years, the tablet market has increased steadily. But there are also other reasons not to give up on a new Windows 10 update and end up spending a small fortune on a new laptop.
Not least is the fact that the new operating system is not without errors and other security issues.
In fact, the U.S. National Security Agency recently found such a serious flaw that it almost unusually issued a public warning.
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So you need to change computers?
Maybe the smartest thing to do is wait and see.
There are other devices for paperwork such as online banking, and your old laptop will work perfectly for tasks that involve security risks.
Instead of giving money to laptop manufacturers and sellers, you could spend it elsewhere.
This is new territory for Microsoft and you, the customer, are part of the experiment.
*This one article was written by Paul Levy, researcher in innovation management at the University of Brighton.
You can read the original article in The Conversation Here.

Original source in Spanish