It’s important to know how long a device will last before you buy it, and even though many laptops can use the latest operating systems and software for years, firm promises were hard to come by. Google recently started guaranteeing 10 years of support for new Chromebooks, and now Microsoft has responded with a pledge for its own Surface PCs.
Microsoft has recently announced that it is extending its update promise for drivers and firmware on Surface devices for up to six years. This is, according to Microsoft, in response to customer feedback and a growing need for more extended device support, but Google offering 10 years of updates to Chromebooks might have been part of the equation as well. This is not quite 10 years, but it’s better than what was previously in place. If you have a Surface computer, you can expect to receive updates for at least six years from the date of release. These updates will include software updates, driver updates, and security updates.
It’s worth noting that the previous promise was just four years, and this will still be the case for Surface computers released before 2021. However, for devices released after this year, Surface owners can expect up to six years of support after the device was first released. For example, the Surface Laptop Go 3 that arrived earlier this year should be fully supported until 2029, and it may still receive Windows updates after that point.
Windows updates are in a bit of a grey spot right now. You used to be able to just fire up any computer you wanted, as old as it was, and put the newest version of Windows on it. If the hardware was powerful enough and most drivers worked, nothing stopped you from using it. That changed with Windows 11, which required TPM 2.0 and other hardware that made many PCs ineligible for the official update (workarounds are available, though). Microsoft also uses some custom hardware in its Surface computers, which complicates long-term software support, so it’s great to see Surface PCs improving in that department.
Source: The Register
