Planned obsolescence.
Say what you will about Microsoft, but they have consistently supported Windows for a MINIMUM of 10 years since Windows XP (2001). That's absolutely a solid record when you compare it to the computing half-life of support that other tech companies usually give. Look at Samsung, or even Google. Hell even Apple maxes out at 7.5 years for it's longest supported device.
[0] https://www.forbes.com/sites/gordonkelly/2023/04/30/microsof...
[1] https://www.forbes.com/sites/antonyleather/2015/05/08/window...
But even then, what point are you even trying to make? Windows 10, like previous releases before it, when its support end, will mean it was supported for a solid 10 years. I mean, that's a lifetime in tech; 2015 was the iPhone 6s.
And I'm nitpicking, but each version of Windows 10 was its own release with a lifecycle of 1-2 years, like Ubuntu. We don't say that Arch has been supported for a solid 22 years just because it's been able to be seamlessly upgraded for that long.
Also, if most major OS and device vendors provide 7-10 years of security updates, and many of them did that before, is it really that much of a "lifetime" to anyone but the outliers?
You must be fun at parties. /s
Yes you are right. Windows 10 had a lot of releases, more like the old service packs. And Windows 11 seems to follow the same strategy.
They backtracked once they realised they're losing money by not having the sales bump from numbered upgrades i.e. the sales bump from planned obsolescence