14 DAY TRIAL // Microsoft will unveil Windows 8 on October 25, but that doesn’t necessarily mean that all consumers and businesses will instantly make the move to the new operating system.
Dell says it will continue to offer Windows 7 to its buyers, even after the Redmond-based technology company rolls out the new Windows iteration. The reason is as simple as it could be: the migration from Windows XP to Windows 7 isn’t yet over, so jumping directly to Windows 8 may not be such a good idea.
Basically, Dell plans to offer Windows 7 as an alternative to business and gaming customers choosing the company’s Alienware laptops.
“We're still moving our business customers from [Windows] XP to Windows 7. The OS migration for a large company is no small feat. We make it easier but it takes some planning and work. For Alienware customers, they know what they want and we give them that choice,” Alison Gardner, director at Dell, was quoted as saying by InfoWorld.
Consumers opting for Latitude, OptiPlex and Precision brands will also be allowed to choose between Windows 7 and Windows 8, but the latter is mostly aimed at those looking for touch capabilities on their PCs, Dell's official explained.
The new Windows 8 operating system will go live on October 25 in New York, as part of an event that’ll also host the debut of the Surface tablet. Chinese users however will get a taste of the new operating system on October 23, as Microsoft plans to release the new OS a bit sooner on the Asian continent in an effort to reduce software piracy in the region.