Surface end life? Really?

Hazel123 · Jan 17, 2025

Our son had a Surface Pro for a big birthday last year. I've been tempted with getting another used one, older. However the older ones are a different size and therefore have a different sized attachable keyboard. I was looking up to see if you could still buy new keyboards for older models - couldn't see any from microsoft. I then came across something that said all Surface machines are only supported for 6 years (early ones only for four years)! Now I know Windows will still be supported - it's saying drivers and firmware will only be supported for 6 years. That doesn't sound good? Is that right? It seems a bit much not to keep supporting such expensive machines. And there was me saying the Surface Pro would last him through his University years - it's already a year old and it seems used older ones are now limited by lack of driver updates and no replacement keyboards?

It is making me want to stick to some other make now.

dacrone · Jan 17, 2025

wouldnt surprise me, knowing how microsoft likes to operate.. but i have an older surface go 3 that i installed windows 11 pro on and with some tweaks runs just fine. it'll last longer than 6 years

Hazel123 · Jan 17, 2025

Thanks that's useful to know. I thought the surface go three wasn't that old though? I just don't want another expensive paperweight lol. It's like cat and mouse choosing a laptop these days. So if most drivers are other manufacturers, that should be ok, but maybe there's the odd microsoft only driver? That could put a spanner in the works?

dacrone · Jan 17, 2025

Hazel123 said:
Thanks that's useful to know. I thought the surface go three wasn't that old though? I just don't want another expensive paperweight lol. It's like cat and mouse choosing a laptop these days. So if most drivers are other manufacturers, that should be ok, but maybe there's the odd microsoft only driver? That could put a spanner in the works?

just double checked my old amazon orders. i stand corrected, its a surface go 2 and i bought it in june 2020

pparks1 · Jan 17, 2025

The documentation does say that it gets support for AT LEAST 6 years. It could be longer.

For devices released on and after January 1, 2021: Surface devices receive driver and firmware updates for at least six years from when the device was first released. If the servicing period exceeds six years, an updated end-of-servicing date will be announced before the date of last servicing.

I think that "at least" 6 years of support for drivers and firmware is a pretty decent amount of time. It certainly doesn't mean that the device is going to stop working 6 years down the road. It just means that updates/additional functionality/enhancements/security updates may not be made available, but it will continue to work just as it has in the past.

Also, how would you "know" if another vendor is truly going to support it longer. Not all vendors may even mention how long they intend to provide support for drivers and firmwares. You just find out after X amount of time that Y is no longer supported.

kelper · Jan 17, 2025

I was thinking of buying a Chromebook until I learnt that have a quite a short support life too. I thought this dirty trick was exclusive to Apple who used to regularly change the hardware requirements for each version of their OS.

For Chromebooks, it's typically eight years from when the model was introduced, not from when it was sold.

So MS is no worse. Linux might be a better option. My philosophy is to buy cheaper laptops and replace when they can't run the current OS.

badrobot · Jan 17, 2025

I think any hardware have limited support in terms of drivers and firmware. Technology advances so fast that any hardware released today will be too old next year.

kelper · Jan 17, 2025

badrobot said:
I think any hardware have limited support in terms of drivers and firmware. Technology advances so fast that any hardware released today will be too old next year.

Oh come on! Don't exagerate.

badrobot · Jan 17, 2025

kelper said:
Oh come on! Don't exagerate.

If you are not into latest hardware, yes it is an exaggeration.
I have an old S23 Ultra phone, an i7-4790K PC (second machine) but I don't mind. I am just saying, technology age too fast. Manufacturers will keep manufacturing. If they keep supporting old tech, who will buy their new ones?

Hazel123 · Jan 17, 2025

pparks1 said:
The documentation does say that it gets support for AT LEAST 6 years. It could be longer.

For devices released on and after January 1, 2021: Surface devices receive driver and firmware updates for at least six years from when the device was first released. If the servicing period exceeds six years, an updated end-of-servicing date will be announced before the date of last servicing.

I think that "at least" 6 years of support for drivers and firmware is a pretty decent amount of time. It certainly doesn't mean that the device is going to stop working 6 years down the road. It just means that updates/additional functionality/enhancements/security updates may not be made available, but it will continue to work just as it has in the past.

Also, how would you "know" if another vendor is truly going to support it longer. Not all vendors may even mention how long they intend to provide support for drivers and firmwares. You just find out after X amount of time that Y is no longer supported.

You don't know, but my thinking was those driver manufacturers will be making drivers for multiple laptop manufacturers, not just surface ones, so they are likely to be supported a lot longer.

I want my machines to last 12 years. Although they don't seem to any more. And I have broken the odd one with drops and liquid recently!). Another reason I've decided it's not worth buying new.

badrobot · Jan 17, 2025

Hazel123 said:
I want my machines to last 12 years. Although they don't seem to any more. And I have broken the odd one with drops and liquid recently!). Another reason I've decided it's not worth buying new.

Having old driver and firmware will not render your machine useless. A lot of people here are also keeping old tech. You can use them as long as the OS can run on them.

kelper · Jan 17, 2025

badrobot said:
Having old driver and firmware will not render your machine useless. A lot of people here are also keeping old tech. You can use them as long as the OS can run on them.

I do agree,, but it's not wise to run an OS that receives no security updates.

badrobot · Jan 17, 2025

kelper said:
I do agree,, but it's not wise to run an OS that receives no security updates.

That's a different issue. The OP's concern is driver and firmware updates.

Hazel123 · Jan 17, 2025

It makes me wary - Microsoft have stopped maschines running before by a certain age! They might introduce new firmware that it can't run without it or something. So I'm wary now. The older smaller keyboards don;t seem to be available for the surface pros either, if you needed to replace the keyboard,

dacrone · Jan 17, 2025

Hazel123 said:
It makes me wary - Microsoft have stopped maschines running before by a certain age! They might introduce new firmware that it can't run without it or something. So I'm wary now. The older smaller keyboards don;t seem to be available for the surface pros either, if you needed to replace the keyboard,

amazon will have the peripherals you need. and as long as the os is x64, you'll be good. just stay away from arm and x86 (which there is no 32bit win 11 anyways...) and you wont ever be unable to update it in one form or another. (this shouldn't be an issue if you are buying a surface pro)

badrobot · Jan 17, 2025

Hazel123 said:
It makes me wary - Microsoft have stopped maschines running before by a certain age! They might introduce new firmware that it can't run without it or something. So I'm wary now. The older smaller keyboards don;t seem to be available for the surface pros either, if you needed to replace the keyboard,

It doesn't work that way. A firmware will not install if it doesn't see the hardware it was made for. Basic/default drivers will keep old tech running.
You can be any bluetooth or wireless keyboard and it will work if you just want to keep using the old laptop.

pparks1 · Jan 17, 2025

Hazel123 said:
I want my machines to last 12 years. Although they don't seem to any more. And I have broken the odd one with drops and liquid recently!). Another reason I've decided it's not worth buying new.

Why 12 years, and not 14, or perhaps 9? Obviously MS had to settle on something and they choose 6. Not sure I would let that persuade me from deciding that it's not the right product.

It's the same thing with those extended service and warranty plans. it's less likely to break in first 2 years, parts are cheaper and readily available in the first 2 years, so the cost of the warranty is less for the first 2 years. Extend it from 2-4 and it's more costly, 4-6 even more costly yet. And 6+ and they just don't warranty it anymore because there is no guarantee of parts availability, etc.

Hazel123 · Jan 17, 2025

I just said 12 years as it was a nice long time

6 years goes too fast. It does seem a bit going the way apples do. I think after 15 years it probably wouldn't run the latest software any more but yes that would be nice. I'm typing on a 12 year old machine now and there's nothing wrong with it.

ChrisTech · Jan 17, 2025

I tend to run my machines as a main machine for about 5 years, then they become the backup or used for various things that I haven't moved over to my new machine or its outdated software that only runs on Win xx. My main at home is Win10 Pro, Work laptop is Win 10 Enterprise (no control over that), and I have my old Win 7 machine still running at home for a few things that I really need to move to my Win 10 box. The worst part about running a no longer updated OS, is lack of security updates, and the fact you can't update your browsers anymore.

*Forgot my System 2 on here, is a test machine at the office. It is Windows 11, but its for testing how it will work with our sytems.

pseymour · Jan 17, 2025

Hazel123 said:
It makes me wary - Microsoft have stopped maschines running before by a certain age!

What?

Surface end life? Really?

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