California Lawsuit Challenges Windows 10 End of Support

Lawrence Klein, a California resident, has filed a lawsuit against Microsoft in San Diego Superior Court to prevent the company from ending support for Windows 10 in October 2025. The lawsuit contends that discontinuing support will force hundreds of millions of users to either upgrade their hardware or risk increased security vulnerabilities and turning computers into e-waste, raising significant environmental concerns. Klein alleges Microsoft is leveraging the end-of-support to push consumers toward Windows 11 and its AI features, which require newer hardware and may limit consumer choice. The suit highlights that many older systems lack TPM 2.0, making them ineligible for the upgrade and forcing users to either pay for extended support or replace their devices. Klein seeks a court order requiring Microsoft to continue free support for Windows 10 until its market share falls below a reasonable threshold and to mandate clear end-of-support disclosures at the point of sale. The case spotlights issues of data security, forced obsolescence, environmental impact, and potential monopolization of the generative AI market.