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Windows Is BROKEN. 240 Million PCs Are Now E-Waste. - Video học tiếng Anh
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Windows Is BROKEN. 240 Million PCs Are Now E-Waste.
Windows Is BROKEN. 240 Million PCs Are Now E-Waste.
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0:00
Windows 11 runs on roughly 50 million lines of code.
0:04
Print that out and it would stretch 131 miles end to end. Sounds impressive. But
0:09
this isn’t some modern marvel… it’s a 40 year old disaster in the making. The constant glitches,
0:15
the blue screens and the 240 million PCs that became instant landfill waste. And if you look
0:21
closely enough, you’ll see Microsoft’s biggest mistakes weren’t accidents…
0:25
They were calculated, strategic sabotage. Chapter 1 - The 50 Million Line Timebomb
0:32
If you’re using Windows, there’s a good chance you’re actually running Windows NT under the hood.
0:37
And when it first launched in Windows NT 3.1, it already contained 5.6 million lines of code. At
0:44
the time, that was massive. But it wasn’t built for consumers. NT was designed for workstations
0:49
and enterprise servers, where stability mattered more than simplicity and backward compatibility
0:54
mattered more than elegance. But then something changed.
0:57
It began powering just about everything. Over time, it became the foundation for
1:01
everything Windows runs on today. And with each new generation, it only became more complex. It
1:07
has become harder to maintain, and more prone to performance issues, slowdowns,
1:11
and unexpected glitches with every major release. It reached a breaking point in 2021
1:16
with the launch of Windows 11, the most bloated and intricate version Microsoft had ever released.
1:22
And this time, users couldn’t ignore the elephant in the room.
1:25
Because for the first time, their computer simply couldn’t handle it.
1:28
Windows 11 now comes pre-installed on all new Microsoft devices, and is offered as
1:33
a free upgrade for existing PCs. But only if they meet the system requirements. That
1:38
list is thinner than most people expect. You need a compatible 64-bit processor,
1:43
at least 4 GB of memory, and 64 GB of storage. On paper, that sounds reasonable. In reality,
1:49
it quietly excludes a massive number of older machines that are still perfectly functional.
1:54
Anyone with an older, workhorse computer has to upgrade or be left behind.
1:58
And for millions of devices, that doesn’t mean a slow transition.
2:02
It means obsolescence. Millions of computers are destined for the landfill.
2:06
It’s turning into the biggest upheaval in Microsoft history.
2:09
The term “backwards compatibility” is familiar to video gamers, and for a long time,
2:13
it was a frustration point. When a new console launches, support for
2:17
older systems doesn’t last long. New games stop releasing for the old hardware, and eventually,
2:22
upgrading becomes the only way to keep playing. But in earlier generations, it went even further.
2:27
New consoles often couldn’t even run old games at all.
2:31
This was often due to incompatible hardware, especially during the cartridge
2:35
era. But there’s also another reason backwards compatibility is hard to come by.
2:39
It simply doesn’t make the company money.
2:41
Windows 11 is seen by most users as a bloated mess of a User Interface,
2:46
and that’s not surprising. At this point, Windows NT is built on a 40 year old foundation
2:51
of code that never quite stopped being built. What’s left is unwieldy and prone to glitches.
2:57
But it’s paying dividends.
2:58
When Windows 11 dropped, it’s estimated that around 50-55% of existing devices were
3:04
incompatible with it. Those users all had to buy new devices, a massive windfall for Microsoft.
3:10
Was it lack of foresight - or by design?
3:13
And if it was the latter, which other massive Microsoft screwups were by design?
3:18
Chapter 2 - The Sacrificial Lamb: Windows Me In 2000, Microsoft was still the dominant force
3:24
in home computing, long before Apple’s resurgence. Windows 98 was everywhere.
3:29
It ran on most home PCs, defining an entire era of personal computing. But it was aging and Microsoft
3:35
desperately needed a replacement. So they introduced a new system.
3:39
Windows Me, also known as Windows Millennium Edition.
3:42
And it would become one of the worst ways to start a new millennium.
3:47
Windows Me promised a new interface, quicker startup times, and built-in internet features
3:52
for the emerging web era. The consumer versions could theoretically handle up to 1.5 GB of RAM,
3:58
but most users had limited need for heavy-duty computing. So when it launched, the system gained
4:03
applause for its enhanced security systems. Then reality set in.
4:08
Windows Me was plagued with glitches. People reported that the security and maintenance system,
4:13
named “PC Health”, wouldn’t work properly. The computers that upgraded were experiencing frequent
4:18
malfunctions and slowdowns. Computers wouldn’t even shut down properly. With overheating already
4:23
common on older desktops, people began to worry they uploaded a trojan horse onto their systems.
4:28
Microsoft would respond… sooner than expected.
4:31
As the negative word of mouth continued to grow for Windows Me, the company released some limited
4:36
fixes. Given the scale of the issues, many critics went as far as calling it unstable,
4:41
even a downgrade from Windows 98. So it wasn’t surprising when Microsoft announced a replacement
4:46
less than a year later. Windows XP.
4:49
Released just 13 months after Windows Me, it introduced what now feel like
4:54
basic features - like built-in ZIP folder support - and a far more stable foundation.
4:59
Windows Me had been a disaster. But it was also one Microsoft was eager to move
5:03
past… and one the industry quickly forgot. Windows XP was the first consumer-focused
5:09
operating system built on the Windows NT kernel, a far more stable foundation than
5:14
what came before it. Today, it’s often seen as the start of “modern Windows.” On the surface,
5:18
it looks like poor planning: releasing a major new operating system, only to abandon its predecessor
5:24
less than a year later. But it wasn’t.
5:26
It was deliberate. Leaked internal memos from
5:29
1999 mention a project codenamed “Neptune.” It was an early attempt to bring the NT architecture to
5:35
consumer machines. But the project was eventually scrapped and folded into something larger.
5:40
Something that became Windows XP. Meanwhile, Windows Me still shipped
5:44
to market, retailing at around $209 for the full version, or between $59 and $109
5:50
for qualifying upgrades. And it delivered what many users remember as instability,
5:55
frustration, and constant technical issues. This was seen as one of Microsoft's big early
6:00
screw-ups, but it wasn’t. It was a disaster by design, and it did exactly what the company
6:06
intended. A rushed stopgap to squeeze one last paycheck out of a dying technology.
6:11
And it wouldn’t be the only time Microsoft played its loyal customers like a fiddle.
6:16
Chapter 3 - The $2,100 Email Machine
6:20
The next major shift came in 2007. Windows Vista was Microsoft’s first major successor
6:26
to Windows XP, released 5 years after its hugely successful predecessor.
6:30
And a lot had changed in that time. Home computers were faster and more capable.
6:35
Customers weren’t sure if their older computers were going to be capable of handling the new
6:39
program, which contained much more code than the previous version. When it was announced, Microsoft
6:43
claimed that nearly every PC on the market at the time would be able to run Windows Vista.
6:49
They could… just not very well.
6:52
A lot of PCs at the time ran on Intel processing chips,
6:55
and their current graphics chipset was seen as underpowered for running the slick,
6:59
new 3D interface that rolled out with Vista. Seeing the concern, Microsoft promised
7:04
that it would classify PCs as Vista Capable if they were usable with the new program. This led
7:09
to many users upgrading their PCs after years of holding out, just to run the new system.
7:14
A large number of them chose the popular, relatively affordable Intel-powered machines.
7:19
It would turn out to be a costly mistake.
7:22
There’s a difference between running a program, and running it in a way that’s
7:26
usable. Those who tried to run Windows Vista on these new PCs - some of which could run
7:30
up to $2,100 at the time - would find many key functions missing. The computers couldn’t handle
7:36
the complex interface. That left them able to do little more with their new PC than send e-mails,
7:42
and Microsoft found itself besieged with complaints. This eventually led to a
7:46
class-action lawsuit where many documents from the development period were unsealed. After all, if a
7:52
lawnmower manufacturer slaps “Ferrari Capable” on one of his products, it doesn’t make it so.
7:57
Again, it was another deliberate strategy.
8:00
Internal e-mails showed that Microsoft very well knew that these “Vista Capable” systems
8:05
weren’t up to par. Corporate Vice President of Windows Product Management Mike Nash saying “I
8:11
now have a $2,100 e-mail machine”. Former Microsoft co-president Jim Allchin even
8:16
raised concerns about misleading customers. Internal emails also revealed frustration
8:21
from Hewlett-Packard, which found itself caught between Microsoft and a wave of unhappy users.
8:27
The situation escalated into legal action, including a class-action lawsuit that was
8:31
eventually decertified. But not before internal documents painted a clearer
8:35
picture of what was happening behind the scenes. Microsoft had engineered
8:38
the fiasco to ensure their partner Intel met its quarterly earnings goal.
8:43
The customers were screwed over for corporate gamesmanship… and it wouldn’t be the last time.
8:49
Chapter 4 - The Trojan Horse: Windows 8
8:52
The releases were coming faster now, and in 2012, customers were greeted with Windows
8:56
8. This would turn out to be one of the most controversial Windows releases yet,
9:00
and not because people were finding themselves locked out of the features.
9:03
Rather, everyone was on the same page on this one…and that wasn’t a good thing.
9:08
This was the first Windows model to feature a new user interface,
9:12
Metro. At the time, mobile devices were exploding in popularity, and Apple’s iPad
9:16
had already become a dominant way to browse the internet. Microsoft wanted to mimic that success.
9:21
Whether its users liked it or not.
9:24
Metro used a simplified format that involved shortcut icons to apps, minimalist design,
9:29
and an optimized desktop.This would mean the apps people clicked most often
9:33
were the first ones they saw when they opened it. On mobile devices,
9:36
this seemed to be a success, as app-based navigation was what most people used.
9:41
But on the desktop, it was a different story. The full-screen Start screen worked well on
9:47
tablets, but on desktop PCs it quickly became a problem. It looked clean,
9:52
but it made precise workflows harder. And the shift to full-screen apps made
9:56
multitasking feel clunky, even restrictive. For many users, especially in business
10:00
environments, it didn’t feel like an upgrade. It felt like a step backwards.
10:04
When Windows 8 launched in 2012, that tension became impossible to
10:08
ignore. The interface was designed around touchscreens, but most users were still on
10:12
traditional desktops. It quickly became a nightmare. The full-screen apps made
10:17
multi-tasking frustrating if not impossible, and the PCs were seen as a poor fit for business use.
10:22
A failed attempt to copy the iPad or something worse?
10:26
The Metro user interface, which would later be renamed Modern, was designed for everyday users.
10:31
But everyone else was pulled into it… whether they wanted to or not. UX designer Jacob Miller,
10:37
who worked on Metro, later commented in a 2014 Reddit discussion, clarifying some of the
10:42
design intent behind it. He explained that the interface was built with casual users in mind,
10:47
who Microsoft believed represented the majority of its customer base.
10:51
The hardcore users would just have to deal with it.
10:54
It was a mercenary decision designed to boost Microsoft’s long-term sales
10:57
prospects. The professional users were the heaviest buyers, but they were relatively
11:02
few in numbers. Content creators and tech experts were heavily outnumbered by grandmas and gamers.
11:07
But the casual users didn’t like when new features were too complex for them to use.
11:12
So Microsoft decided to move toward a simplified Windows interface that everyone would have to use,
11:17
expanding its user base in the process. The assumption was that users with the most invested
11:22
in the platform would adapt over time, rather than abandon it and start fresh with new systems.
11:28
The users weren’t the customers… they were the product. And the worst was yet to come.
11:33
Chapter 5 - The Great PC Purge
11:35
Windows kept on rolling out new releases for the next few years,
11:38
with all models being seen as minor updates . That was until Windows 10 dropped in 2015.
11:44
This one was promised as the biggest upgrade to Windows in years. A unified version,
11:49
optimized to run across all devices.The user interface was heavily designed for
11:53
mobile and incorporated new gaming technologies. When it was announced,
11:57
it was seen as a promising update for a brand that was starting to be seen as outdated.
12:02
There was just one problem… your computer might not run it.
12:06
Windows 11 was positioned as a fresh start for Microsoft. Windows 10 support was gradually
12:11
phased out, and Windows 11 became the only real way forward. But the shift came with a catch.
12:16
The system requirements were the strictest Microsoft had ever set.
12:20
Modern 64-bit processor. Multiple cores. 4 GB of RAM. 64 GB of storage. DirectX 12 graphics.
12:27
A high-definition display. Individually, these sound reasonable. Together, they quietly
12:33
excluded a huge portion of older - but still functional - machines. But the real breaking
12:37
point wasn’t performance. It was security. Windows 11 required a TPM 2.0 chip also known
12:43
as the Trusted Platform Module. It was designed to store encryption keys and biometric data
12:49
in a way that protects the physical device from tampering. And unlike CPU or memory requirements,
12:55
this wasn’t something you could upgrade easily. Because TPM 2.0 only became common in consumer
13:01
PCs around 2015. Which meant millions of computers were suddenly locked out.
13:06
It would lead to the greatest PC purge in electronics history.
13:10
With one fell swoop, as many as 60% of PCs used for Windows computing were instantly removed
13:16
from the upgrade path, unable to use the newest software. Some stubborn users powered through
13:21
with the old technology, but the vast majority decided it was time to get a new computer.
13:25
According to Canalys Research, that upgrade barrier led to a massive cull of technology,
13:30
sending an estimated 240 million PCs to the landfill by the end of 2025.
13:36
And that won’t just impact your pocketbook, it’ll impact the world.
13:40
That’s around 105 million pounds (480 million kilograms) of electronic waste. It weighs about
13:45
the equivalent of 320,000 cars. Folded and stacked flat on top of each other,
13:50
they would be more than 370 miles (595 km) taller than the diameter
13:54
of the moon. It raised serious concerns about an environmental ripple effect.
13:59
Millions of still-working computers became obsolete overnight, feeding into an already
14:04
growing e-waste problem that’s difficult to recycle or safely dispose of at scale.
14:09
But Microsoft maintained its position. This wasn’t an accident.
14:13
In their view, it was a necessary reset. One that would clear the foundation for
14:18
the next phase of their product ecosystem. Microsoft had experienced a historic hardware
14:23
boom during the Covid-19 pandemic. The strict hardware requirements of Windows
14:27
11 promised to force another massive wave of new PC sales to keep that momentum going. Not
14:33
only would it give them the biggest new product launch of the new era,
14:36
but it would lead to a buying spree of new PCs by people who needed to meet the system requirements.
14:42
And it definitely worked.
14:44
In May 2021, the stock was sitting at just below 250 a share. It surged to
14:50
555 a share before settling at its May 2026 point of over 400 a share.
14:55
Windows 11 has been a winner for the company, despite - and maybe
14:59
because of - the anger that forced many people to start anew with a fresh PC.
15:04
But it’s not just about the new computer… it’s what’s going into them.
15:08
Chapter 6 - Telemetry Debt: The Spy in the Shell
15:12
One of the biggest topics in computing lately is security.
15:15
Not just from outside hackers, but from the company itself.
15:18
Computers are more connected to the internet and to third-party applications than ever before.
15:23
Smartphone users are familiar with this, but until recently, desktop computers were seen as more
15:28
secure. But that might be changing. There’s been a recent focus on Windows 11’s telemetry. That’s the
15:34
automated process of collecting and transmitting data from your computer to exterior sources.
15:38
It turns out, your computer is always talking.
15:41
An analysis by The PC Security Channel showed that Windows 11 is very active in collecting
15:46
diagnostic, usage, and performance data as you work. Users quickly began looking for ways to
15:52
disable it. And while some of it could be limited, a baseline level of telemetry is
15:56
effectively unavoidable. But Windows 11 goes further than most users expected.
16:01
Even before the user opens a web browser, the computer is active and analyzing your data.
16:06
It then delivers it to the Microsoft servers so it can ostensibly optimize your performance.
16:11
All to sell you things.
16:14
According to critics of the modern OS, Windows 11 is little more than an ad-delivery system
16:19
that you’re paying extra for. The software has been known for its display ads and promos as
16:24
soon as you turn on, offering you suggestions for new Microsoft products and features based on your
16:29
ongoing activity. It’s not exactly new behavior. But for most people, it’s just more hassle
16:34
than it’s worth to turn it off. Digging through the systems and
16:37
turning off features like personalization, as well as upgrading privacy settings,
16:42
can minimize the number of ads that show up. In recent updates, users have reported seeing fewer
16:47
ads. But users have seen behind the curtain now. Even if they’re not seeing the ads, they know that
16:53
Microsoft is watching them and taking notes. It’s a far cry from the clean, easy-to-use Windows 7.
16:59
But some worry the privacy issues are just beginning.
17:02
Because Microsoft is out to win the next war.
17:05
Chapter 7 - The Final F*ckup
17:07
Windows 11 has had several updates since it launched in 2021,
17:11
but none as controversial as Windows Recall. It was part of Microsoft’s broader Copilot system,
17:17
an AI-powered assistant rolled out across its products in 2024 through a partnership
17:21
with OpenAI. Instead of building its own model from scratch like some competitors,
17:26
Microsoft integrated existing AI technology directly into Windows. The
17:30
chatbot was supposed to be a built-in assistant that could help write text,
17:34
automate everyday tasks, and offer real-time suggestions across the system.
17:38
But what they didn’t know was, it was spying on them…
17:42
All the time.
17:44
Windows Recall was positioned as a flagship feature, but most users would never interact
17:48
with it directly or even know it existed. That is unless they were watching the press
17:53
conference where it was unveiled in May 2024. It sounded deceptively simple. It
17:58
would automatically take a screenshot of the desktop every few seconds,
18:02
creating a record of everything you do. If you lost any information,
18:07
it’d be easy to look it up. Your computer now knew what you were doing at all times.
18:12
So did any hacker or malware that managed to get into your system.
18:15
As soon as people heard about this feature, the backlash was immediate.
18:19
People didn’t want their privacy logged to this extent, especially as no one knew about
18:23
the security of the data. Making it worse, the feature was going to be turned on by default.
18:28
This wasn’t so much a backup or security feature as automatic spyware that comes pre-installed on
18:34
your computer, The criticism from both security professionals and casual users who didn’t like
18:38
AI was so swift that Microsoft postponed the roll-out and added an opt-in feature.
18:44
But the biggest problem was yet to come.
18:46
It soon came out that everyone’s worst fears were accurate. The initial data
18:50
was being saved on a plaintext database, with no encryption. This created a comprehensive,
18:56
easily hackable database of your life directly on your own hard drive. It was like a bank
19:01
building a glass vault in your living room, and then forgetting to put a lock on the door.
19:06
According to cybersecurity expert Alexander Hagenah, users could have all their activity
19:10
compromised in a shocking breach of customer trust. And the motivation for this sloppy
19:16
rollout? Microsoft just wanted to beat Apple to the AI punch. But Apple had
19:20
its own major AI problems, missing several deadlines and underdelivering. Ironically,
19:25
that may have been the winning hand, because Microsoft’s rollout was costly and disastrous.
19:30
And it all comes down to one question: does Microsoft even know what it’s doing anymore?
19:36
Chapter 8 - The Crumbling Foundation
19:38
Windows loyalists have lived through what seems like a never-ending parade of software screwups,
19:44
failed launches, and glitches that play casual users against
19:47
professionals. With each new release, the code gets more and more complex,
19:50
leading to the current bloated 50-million line monstrosity.
19:54
So what could fix it? Can it even be fixed?
19:57
More and more users are looking at this string of disasters and saying
20:00
the problem isn’t individual releases, it’s the foundation.
20:04
Windows keeps building on itself but the base is rotting.
20:07
With each new release, Windows seems to become more complicated and less user-friendly, and many
20:12
of the new features seem like more trouble than they’re worth. Analysts say the best way to fix
20:16
Windows might simply be to start fresh, create a new model that would be more suited for the tastes
20:21
of today’s users. But to do that, they would need to ditch the backwards compatibility that’s become
20:26
their bread and butter. They would have to compete with all the established rivals for the market,
20:31
without the security of being able to transition people from one version of Windows to another.
20:36
They’re never going to give up that monopoly.
20:38
To start over, Microsoft would have to risk everything. So the safer option
20:42
is to continue releasing the flawed models that
20:45
aim to improve the problem with the last Windows while creating new ones.
20:50
The user loses but Microsoft’s stock price wins.
20:53
Microsoft isn’t the only company that’s leveraged everything on AI. Find out the
20:57
real story in “Why Open AI’s IPO Will CRASH The Stock Market”, or watch this video instead!
