Microsoft has discontinued sales of computers running consumer versions of Windows 7, effectively pushing people onto the less-popular Windows 8 operating system.
As of 31 October 2014, Microsoft will no longer provide licences for Windows 7 Home Basic, Windows 7 Home Premium, and Windows 7 Ultimate to PC makers – like Dell, Lenovo and HP.
This means it will only be possible to buy a PC with Windows 7 pre-installed until existing stock runs out. All new Windows PC models will run either Windows 8 or Windows 8.1.
The only exception will be business computers running Windows 7 Professional, which will continue being sold for at least another year.
Microsoft will continue to offer mainstream support for Windows 7 until 13 January 2015. Extended support is also guaranteed until 14 January 2020, according to the company’s Windows lifecycle fact sheet.
Microsoft has also stopped selling boxed retail copies of Windows 8, which launched in 2012. However, the operating system will still be sold pre-installed on some Windows PCs.
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SOURCE: The Telegraph UK
Sophie Curtis
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