Reader’s Letter to The Guardian

Dear Editor,

I see that Microsoft has released a new “Surface Laptop” (article by Samuel Gibbs, 13th April 2021, link below) which is up to 70% faster than the previous model.

So, of course, it is time to dump your old laptop and buy this one.

Indeed, this is a well-know obligation as, every time Microsoft “upgrades” its software, it is time to go out and buy new hardware. We are all familiar with this irritation, aren’t we?

So how on earth can Bill Gates masquerade as an environmental evangelist (with his recent book and multiple media appearances), when his company has been responsible for so much “discarded kit”. I dread to think how many millions of tonnes of computer equipment were consigned to a very early grave just because Microsoft “upgraded” this or that feature.

I hate to sound smug but, personally, I use Lubuntu-Linux which does everything I need and runs perfectly well on ancient hardware which, long ago, could no longer run the latest Windows.

Yours,
Alan Mitcham

Link to original article: https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2021/apr/13/microsoft-launches-faster-new-surface-laptop-4-intel-amd-chips