Microsoft's Free Upgrade Offer—Bad News For 240 Million Windows Users
Microsoft's campaign to urge some 240 million PC owners to recycle their devices or consign them to landfill continues. The company has already told those users they do not get its free Windows 11 upgrade, and is now emphasizing why the new hardware so many must (but don't want to) buy is absolutely critical to staying safe.
As spotted by Neowin, following Microsoft's suggestion that users 'dump their PC and get a new one with Windows 11,' the company is now explaining 'why that is and how it helps make Windows 11 a better OS than Windows 10.' Thankfully, it has done this 'in simple words so that most users can understand them.'
This is TPM 2.0, the hardware security chip that is the dividing line between PCs that can upgrade to Windows 11 and PCs that can't. 'The Trusted Platform Module (TPM),' Microsoft says, 'is a specialized chip built into your computer's hardware. It's designed to protect sensitive data by ensuring only trust software runs on your computer. It also keeps your important information safe from unauthorized access.'
The company provides four security related bullets to explain Windows 11's security benefits, which as is always emphasized, is a hardware/software combination:
TPM 2.0 is not just chip, Microsoft says, 'it's your device's first line of defense against the ever-evolving world of cyber threats.'
Microsoft has a fast-approaching problem as it 'tries to convince Windows 10 users that TPM 2.0 is worth the upgrade,' per XDA Developers. There is a hard red line between the PCs that can and can't upgrade, those with and without the TPM 2.0 chip. With workarounds being shutdown and the Windows-maker being clear than ineligible PCs should be be changed, we will hit a brake in those Windows 11 numbers.
After trailing Windows 10 since its launch, Windows 11 now has almost the same market share as its predecessor, and the numbers of those switching is accelerating at long last. But at some point that will stop or at least drastically slow down.
The current estimate of the number of ineligible PCs is 240 million — but there are fears there could be even more. And a vast number of those will neither update hardware nor pay $30 for a 12-month support extension. That will leave hundreds of millions of PCs exposed to the cyber threats that hit Windows PCs constantly. Bad news all round.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
3 hours ago
- Yahoo
Here is What to Know Beyond Why Microsoft Corporation (MSFT) is a Trending Stock
Microsoft (MSFT) has recently been on list of the most searched stocks. Therefore, you might want to consider some of the key factors that could influence the stock's performance in the near future. Shares of this software maker have returned +2.1% over the past month versus the Zacks S&P 500 composite's +3.3% change. The Zacks Computer - Software industry, to which Microsoft belongs, has gained 2.1% over this period. Now the key question is: Where could the stock be headed in the near term? While media releases or rumors about a substantial change in a company's business prospects usually make its stock 'trending' and lead to an immediate price change, there are always some fundamental facts that eventually dominate the buy-and-hold decision-making. Revisions to Earnings Estimates Rather than focusing on anything else, we at Zacks prioritize evaluating the change in a company's earnings projection. This is because we believe the fair value for its stock is determined by the present value of its future stream of earnings. Our analysis is essentially based on how sell-side analysts covering the stock are revising their earnings estimates to take the latest business trends into account. When earnings estimates for a company go up, the fair value for its stock goes up as well. And when a stock's fair value is higher than its current market price, investors tend to buy the stock, resulting in its price moving upward. Because of this, empirical studies indicate a strong correlation between trends in earnings estimate revisions and short-term stock price movements. For the current quarter, Microsoft is expected to post earnings of $3.64 per share, indicating a change of +10.3% from the year-ago quarter. The Zacks Consensus Estimate has changed +3.2% over the last 30 days. The consensus earnings estimate of $15.32 for the current fiscal year indicates a year-over-year change of +12.3%. This estimate has changed +2.4% over the last 30 days. For the next fiscal year, the consensus earnings estimate of $17.89 indicates a change of +16.7% from what Microsoft is expected to report a year ago. Over the past month, the estimate has changed +2.9%. With an impressive externally audited track record, our proprietary stock rating tool -- the Zacks Rank -- is a more conclusive indicator of a stock's near-term price performance, as it effectively harnesses the power of earnings estimate revisions. The size of the recent change in the consensus estimate, along with three other factors related to earnings estimates, has resulted in a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy) for Microsoft. The chart below shows the evolution of the company's forward 12-month consensus EPS estimate: 12 Month EPS Revenue Growth Forecast While earnings growth is arguably the most superior indicator of a company's financial health, nothing happens as such if a business isn't able to grow its revenues. After all, it's nearly impossible for a company to increase its earnings for an extended period without increasing its revenues. So, it's important to know a company's potential revenue growth. In the case of Microsoft, the consensus sales estimate of $75.38 billion for the current quarter points to a year-over-year change of +14.9%. The $320.67 billion and $366.59 billion estimates for the current and next fiscal years indicate changes of +13.8% and +14.3%, respectively. Last Reported Results and Surprise History Microsoft reported revenues of $76.44 billion in the last reported quarter, representing a year-over-year change of +18.1%. EPS of $3.65 for the same period compares with $2.95 a year ago. Compared to the Zacks Consensus Estimate of $73.71 billion, the reported revenues represent a surprise of +3.7%. The EPS surprise was +8.96%. The company beat consensus EPS estimates in each of the trailing four quarters. The company topped consensus revenue estimates each time over this period. Valuation No investment decision can be efficient without considering a stock's valuation. Whether a stock's current price rightly reflects the intrinsic value of the underlying business and the company's growth prospects is an essential determinant of its future price performance. While comparing the current values of a company's valuation multiples, such as price-to-earnings (P/E), price-to-sales (P/S), and price-to-cash flow (P/CF), with its own historical values helps determine whether its stock is fairly valued, overvalued, or undervalued, comparing the company relative to its peers on these parameters gives a good sense of the reasonability of the stock's price. As part of the Zacks Style Scores system, the Zacks Value Style Score (which evaluates both traditional and unconventional valuation metrics) organizes stocks into five groups ranging from A to F (A is better than B; B is better than C; and so on), making it helpful in identifying whether a stock is overvalued, rightly valued, or temporarily undervalued. Microsoft is graded D on this front, indicating that it is trading at a premium to its peers. Click here to see the values of some of the valuation metrics that have driven this grade. Conclusion The facts discussed here and much other information on might help determine whether or not it's worthwhile paying attention to the market buzz about Microsoft. However, its Zacks Rank #2 does suggest that it may outperform the broader market in the near term. Want the latest recommendations from Zacks Investment Research? Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days. Click to get this free report Microsoft Corporation (MSFT) : Free Stock Analysis Report This article originally published on Zacks Investment Research ( Zacks Investment Research
Yahoo
3 hours ago
- Yahoo
5 Unstoppable "Ten Titans" Growth Stocks to Buy Now and Hold Through at Least 2030
Key Points The "Ten Titans" offer a more comprehensive list of top growth stocks than the "Magnificent Seven." Nvidia and Broadcom provide the building blocks of AI infrastructure. Microsoft, Alphabet, and Oracle are three exciting plays in cloud computing. 10 stocks we like better than Nvidia › The "Ten Titans" are the largest growth-focused U.S. companies by market cap -- consisting of Nvidia (NASDAQ: NVDA), Microsoft (NASDAQ: MSFT), Apple, Amazon, Alphabet (NASDAQ: GOOGL) (NASDAQ: GOOG), Meta Platforms, Broadcom (NASDAQ: AVGO), Tesla, Oracle (NYSE: ORCL), and Netflix. Combined, they make up over 37% of the S&P 500, showcasing the top-heavy nature of the index and how just a handful of companies can move the market. If I could only buy and hold half of the Ten Titans through 2030, I'd go with Nvidia, Broadcom, Microsoft, Oracle, and Alphabet. Here's what separates these growth stocks from the rest of the pack. The building blocks of AI Nvidia and Broadcom both play crucial roles in the buildout of artificial intelligence (AI). Nvidia's graphics processing units, CUDA software platform, and associated infrastructure provide a full-scale AI ecosystem for data centers. Orders continue to pour in for Nvidia's chips as big tech companies ramp up capital expenditures to support AI models. Broadcom makes application-specific integrated circuits, which are AI accelerators that can perform specific functions. The company's latest customer accelerator (XPU) is its 3.5D eXtreme Dimension System in Package, which drastically cuts down on power consumption and boosts efficiency between components -- all within a smaller package size. Broadcom offers compute, memory, network, and packaging capabilities, giving customers a vertically integrated solution for AI at scale. Broadcom has a highly differentiated networking and infrastructure software business. In addition to AI accelerators, its semiconductor segment also offers a variety of solutions for enterprise clients, like broadband, wireless, storage, and more. Three different ways to bet on cloud computing Microsoft, Alphabet, and Oracle offer three distinctly different ways to invest in cloud computing. Microsoft Azure is the No. 2 cloud player behind Amazon Web Services. Azure is Microsoft's fastest-growing segment -- capitalizing on AI demand through cloud offerings specifically geared toward handling AI workloads. But what separates Microsoft from other cloud plays is the strength of the rest of its business. Copilot for Azure, the Microsoft 365 software suite, and GitHub continue to grow their active user base. Microsoft's revenue growth has accelerated, and profit margins are at their highest level in over a decade -- driving Microsoft's surging stock price. Alphabet's Google Cloud doesn't have as much market share as Azure, but it is growing quickly and becoming more profitable. But unlike Microsoft, where cloud is the centerpiece of the investment thesis, Google Cloud doesn't contribute nearly as much to Alphabet's bottom line as other services -- namely Google Search and YouTube. Alphabet stock has roared higher in recent months, but it's still arguably the best value of the Ten Titans. While Google Search could see disruption from rival information resources like ChatGPT, it's worth noting that Google Gemini has gained significant traction in recent quarters -- showing Alphabet's ability to adapt. Oracle Cloud Infrastructure (OCI) is arguably the most exciting play in cloud computing right now. OCI is thriving due to its flexible structure, which leans on Oracle's established database ecosystem. It is best paired with Oracle databases and applications, with certain services not available on other clouds. Instead of going toe-to-toe with the "big three" cloud providers, Oracle partners with them by combining its database services with the AWS, Azure, and Google Cloud infrastructure. All told, Oracle is a top play in cloud computing because it offers its own vertically integrated suite of solutions, but also stands to benefit from the overall growth of the industry through its partnerships. These titans are worth their premium price tags Nvidia, Broadcom, Microsoft, Alphabet, and Oracle have all been phenomenal stocks -- crushing the S&P 500 over the last five years. With the exception of Alphabet, outsized gains have made valuations expensive based on their trailing and forward earnings estimates, which may deter some investors from approaching these names. However, folks who are looking for top companies to buy and hold through at least 2030 will care more about where a company will be years from now than the next few quarters. The advantage of a longer investment time horizon is that you can give a company time to grow into its valuation. Nvidia, Broadcom, and Oracle are some of the most expensive of the Ten Titans, but they also have the most attractive runways for growth. Meanwhile, Microsoft and Alphabet have more reasonable valuations and multiple levers to pull for growing earnings for years to come. There are valid cases for buying all of the Ten Titans, but Nvidia, Broadcom, Microsoft, Alphabet, and Oracle truly stand out as the best of the best for long-term investors. Do the experts think Nvidia is a buy right now? The Motley Fool's expert analyst team, drawing on years of investing experience and deep analysis of thousands of stocks, leverages our proprietary Moneyball AI investing database to uncover top opportunities. They've just revealed their to buy now — did Nvidia make the list? When our Stock Advisor analyst team has a stock recommendation, it can pay to listen. After all, Stock Advisor's total average return is up 1,071% vs. just 185% for the S&P — that is beating the market by 886.18%!* Imagine if you were a Stock Advisor member when Netflix made this list on December 17, 2004... if you invested $1,000 at the time of our recommendation, you'd have $663,630!* Or when Nvidia made this list on April 15, 2005... if you invested $1,000 at the time of our recommendation, you'd have $1,115,695!* The 10 stocks that made the cut could produce monster returns in the coming years. Don't miss out on the latest top 10 list, available when you join Stock Advisor. See the 10 stocks » *Stock Advisor returns as of August 13, 2025 Daniel Foelber has positions in Nvidia. The Motley Fool has positions in and recommends Alphabet, Amazon, Apple, Meta Platforms, Microsoft, Netflix, Nvidia, Oracle, and Tesla. The Motley Fool recommends Broadcom and recommends the following options: long January 2026 $395 calls on Microsoft and short January 2026 $405 calls on Microsoft. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy. 5 Unstoppable "Ten Titans" Growth Stocks to Buy Now and Hold Through at Least 2030 was originally published by The Motley Fool Error in retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data
Geek Wire
3 hours ago
- Geek Wire
Microsoft launches formal review into alleged use of its Azure cloud in Palestinian surveillance
A crowd outside Microsoft's 50th anniversary event in Redmond protests the company supplying cloud and AI technology to the Israeli military. (GeekWire File Photo / Todd Bishop) Microsoft, under continued pressure over the use of its technology by the Israeli military, said Friday that it's launching a formal review into allegations that its cloud services were used as part of the mass surveillance of Palestinians. The move follows the Aug. 6 reports in The Guardian, +972 Magazine and Local Call, citing sources who said the Israeli Defense Forces stored data from widespread phone monitoring of civilians in Gaza and the West Bank on Microsoft Azure servers. The company said its terms of service would prohibit this type of usage. When the story was initially published, the company said its work with an Israeli intelligence unit was for cybersecurity purposes, and that it was not aware of any civilian surveillance. 'Microsoft appreciates that The Guardian's recent report raises additional and precise allegations that merit a full and urgent review,' the company said in a new update to a post from May about an earlier review about the use of its technology by the Israeli military. For the new review, Microsoft said it has engaged the law firm Covington & Burling LLP, with technical assistance from an unnamed independent consulting firm. The company promised to publicly release the findings once the process is complete. The company said the effort will expand on the earlier review, which found no violations of its terms of service by the Israeli military. In that review, Microsoft acknowledged it had limited visibility into how its software is used on private or on-premises systems. The announcement comes amid ongoing protests from a group called No Azure for Apartheid, consisting of current and former Microsoft employees and others who are calling for the company to end its AI and cloud contracts with the Israeli military. Members of the group have staged repeated demonstrations at Microsoft events, arguing that the company's technology is enabling human rights abuses against Palestinians. RELATED: Inside the Microsoft protests: Fired engineer speaks out on Palestine, Israel, AI, and big tech
