Cant upgrade your laptop to Windows 11? Asus joins Microsofts campaign urging you to buy a new Copilot+ PC, and Im not sure thats wise

Date:
Mon, 02 Jun 2025 22:30:00 +0000

Description:
Buy a new Copilot+ PC, Asus urges us, sweeping some vital issues under the computing carpet.

FULL STORY ======================================================================Asus is trying to persuade those who cant upgrade their Windows 10 laptop to switch
to a Copilot+ PC This is ignoring concerns about millions of PCs heading to the scrapheap because of Windows 11s spec requirements Asus is also overselling the abilities of Copilot+ PCs, which just arent that impressive overall not yet, anyway

For some time, Microsoft has been urging folks with a Windows 10 PC that cant upgrade to Windows 11 that they should buy a new computer, preferably a Copilot+ PC and Asus is now playing that same tune.

Windows Latest noticed a post from Asus about why nows the time to switch to Windows 11, and to consider upgrading to a Copilot+ device (from Asus, naturally).

This is aimed at folks who are in the unfortunate situation where their Windows 10 laptop is too old to support the stricter hardware requirements of Windows 11 , and so they cant upgrade. Notebooks with older CPUs are left out in the cold, of course, as you cant switch out those parts like you can with
a desktop PC.

Asus reminds us that Windows 10 runs out of support in October 2025 , which
is rapidly approaching, and that you shouldnt run an OS without security updates, which is certainly true.

The laptop maker then moves on to persuade us that what everyone in this situation needs is a new Windows 11 notebook, and that what makes these devices different is one word: Copilot.

Moreover, Asus argues: But heres where it gets even better: with Copilot+
PCs, Windows 11 takes the AI experience to a whole new level. These devices are equipped with an NPU a dedicated AI processor, specifically designed to handle AI tasks locally, making your experience smoother, faster, and more secure.

If your current laptop isnt up to snuff for Windows 11 or Copilot+, this is the perfect time to upgrade to a device thats built for it.

Thereafter follows a series of plugs for Asus Vivobook models, Copilot+ PCs with both Snapdragon (Arm-based) and traditional Intel processors. (Image credit: Photo by Tom Fisk via Pexels) Analysis: Landfill woes and unwise overselling

The problem with these marketing campaigns, which are nudging people to
simply dump their Windows 10 PC, is that this isnt a very green-friendly perspective to serve up.

Going way back, there have been alarm bells rung about potentially towering piles of scrapped PCs heading to landfills later this year, thanks to Microsofts policy of enforcing steeper system requirements with Windows 11.
If it wasnt for some of those generally security-related measures, those folks could upgrade to the newer OS just fine and keep their current laptop (or indeed desktop PC).

So, when companies like Microsoft and now Asus push the benefits of throwing out old hardware for a shiny new Copilot+ PC, you can see why this frustrates organizations that are working to promote eco-friendliness in one way or another.

At any rate, if your laptop isnt compatible with Windows 11, is it really ready for the bin when October 2025 and the End of Life for Windows 10 rolls around? Of course not one option is that you can pay to extend support for a year .

Thats a choice Microsoft has provided for consumers for the first time ever, actually, likely to placate those with the aforementioned environmental concerns though itd be good if this support could be extended even further. (It can be for businesses, but we dont know if thatll be the case for
everyday users).

Another option is switching to Linux, of course, as has been highlighted recently .

The other problem with the argument Asus presents here (and Microsoft is guilty of this too) is that its overselling the ability of Copilot+ PCs.
While there are some impressive powers for these devices like improved (natural language) Windows 11 search , and the same search trick in Settings too most of the AI exclusives for Copilot+ devices arent overly compelling ( Recall included right now ).

While Copilot+ laptops may eventually take your Windows 11 computing experience to another level as Asus mentions in its blurb, we definitely
arent there yet. This is marketing fluff, essentially, and while thats hardly unexpected, companies need to be careful about how theyre framing these kinds of posts, given the environmental concerns in play here.

No, you cant keep your PC running forever, but Microsoft and its partners
need to be more thoughtful about the state of tech landfill and our planet. And Id really like to see Microsoft confirm extended support for updates to consumers for more than just a year, without making that additional time prohibitively expensive. You may also like Windows 11 fully streamlined in just two clicks? Talon utility promises to rip all the bloatware out of Microsofts OS in a hassle-free way Windows 11 is still my favorite OS, ads
and all Microsoft looks to be making a big change to how you install and log in to Windows 11 and Im not happy about it at all



======================================================================
Link to news story: https://www.techradar.com/computing/windows/cant-upgrade-your-laptop-to-window s-11-asus-joins-microsofts-campaign-urging-you-to-buy-a-new-copilot-pc-and-im- not-sure-thats-wise


--- Mystic BBS v1.12 A47 (Linux/64)
* Origin: tqwNet Technology News (1337:1/100)