Microsoft

When Microsoft's Windows 11 comes out later this year, most older computers will not be able to run it. Leo says that's because it will require secure boot circuitry on motherboards in order to run the latest OS. This is causing many to howl as they'll be forced to upgrade in order to keep up. But users have some time, as Microsoft will be killing support for Windows 10 on October 14th, 2025.

Microsoft will announce Windows 11 this Thursday, and Leo says it's more of a cosmetic overhaul with the same back end. The real question will be, will Microsoft charge for it or initially give it away as they did for Windows 10? Leo says that most people upgrade their Windows when they buy a new computer, and the pundits may be right that Windows 11 will be a free download. But Leo thinks that Microsoft may charge about $35 for the upgrade, which the company gets from each computer that carries the OS. We'll find out Thursday.

Reversing the stance that Windows 10 would be the last operating system you'll have own for your PC, Microsoft will soon announce Windows 11 (codenamed Sun Valley) this week with a completely redesigned app store. But Leo doesn't think that the new operating system would be anything too different from what users have now. And the app store? Well, YAWN.  Leo also says it will be aimed primarily at consumers since businesses are traditionally reticent to move to a new platform.

Microsoft is believed to be introducing a new version of Windows during their Microsoft event on June 24th. Leo thinks this is interesting since Nadella stated unequivocally that Windows 10 would be the last Windows Microsoft will ever release. But a recent tweet by a Windows executive stated that a new version,  Windows 11 (also code named Sun Valley), will be out on the 24th. So what does it mean? Leo thinks it's likely a home-based OS revamp that could be just a huge update.

Microsoft was planning on releasing Windows 10X soon, which would rewrite the operating system from the ground up. Now reports indicate that the project may be dead in favor of the current incarnation of Windows X.  Leo says the problem is that Microsoft is obsessed with keeping the OS compatible with every computer out there, making it practically impossible to modernize it.

2020 may have been a rough year for us, but the top five tech giants had a banner year with nearly 2 Trillion in revenue. Those giants included Apple, Google (Alphabet), Microsoft, and others. Leo says that Apple, in particular, enjoyed a 42% profit margin. And a 78% margin rumored to be from the app store.