Microsoft pushing out full-screen ads to Windows 10 users

Microsoft is no stranger to annoying users in order to get them off old Windows versions, and the tactic has now shifted to pushing users to simply buy a new PC; specifically, a member of the Microsoft Surface Laptop lineup. The laptop is only pictured and not explicitly named, but the message is certainly clear. Microsoft is no longer simply pushing users to get away from Windows 10, but instead wants them to ditch their aging hardware. 

Copilot+, the AI integration included by default in Windows 11, is a central figure in this new spat of ads. The full-screen message, which apparently isn't popping up for all Windows 10 users across the board just yet, urges users to "level up" and buy a PC that supports Copilot+. The rub with that notion, though, is the fact that only a small handful of machines are poised to support the new feature at the moment. In order to be Copilot+ certified, a machine has to have an integrated neural processing unit that's able to push at least 40 trillion operations per second. For the time being, the only PCs on the market that can meet this requirement sport Snapdragon X, Intel Core Ultra, or AMD Ryzen AI processors. 

This move is a far from subtle attempt to boost sales of new PCs. Windows 10 has topped user numbers for a long while, but since late 2021, most new PCs sold have come with Windows 11. That means this campaign is largely targeting those holding onto older hardware, and the chosen tactic's intrusive and seemingly urgent nature may be enough of a push to scare less technical users into making the jump. Those that do want to hang onto Windows 10 and the older hardware that runs it have some options, but the official option from Microsoft will only last a year. Less legitimate options, meanwhile, are largely reserved for more technically-inclined consumers.