14 DAY TRIAL // It’s not a secret that Microsoft is trying pretty much anything to bring everyone on Windows 10 (including upgrades that might be accidentally pushed to users), and part of these efforts is also ending sales of PCs with Windows 7 and 8.1 pre-installed at both its own stores and retailers.
Microsoft revealed on its Windows lifecycle fact sheet page (via WinBeta) that sales of computers coming with a previous version of the operating system will end next year, so should you decide to purchase a new PC beyond this date, you have no other option than to go for Windows 10.
PCs with Windows 7 and 8.1 pre-installed will no longer be available after October 31, 2016, which means that we still have around 12 months left to grab one. Computers with Windows 8 will also be discontinued on June 30, 2016, but this isn’t such a big deal anyway, given the fact that 8.1 is also available.
“End of sales refers to the date when a particular version of Windows is no longer shipped to retailers or Original Equipment Manufacturers (OEMs). Examples of OEMS are Dell and Toshiba—PC manufacturers who often preinstall Windows software,” Microsoft explains.
The Windows 10 effort
Starting next year, Windows 10 will also be offered as a recommended update on Windows 7 and 8.1 computers, so in case you purchase a new PC before the aforementioned date, you will definitely be offered the upgrade as well.
Microsoft wants to bring Windows 10 on 1 billion devices by 2017, and Windows 7 ‘s success might actually impact the adoption of the new OS, so all these measures are supposed to support it.
Windows 7 will no longer receive updates and patches after January 2020, so there will be four tough years of struggle for Microsoft to move users to Windows 10.