Tuesday, November 3, 2015

Microsoft plans trick or treat for Windows 7,8.1 users next Halloween

Microsoft to discontinue Windows 7 and 8.1 next November - CNET
Updated late October, Microsoft's "Windows lifecycle fact sheet" shows October 31, 2016, as the "end of sales for PCs with Windows preinstalled" for both Windows 7 Professional and Windows 8.1, a change spotted by CNET sister site ZDNet. After that date, the only choice for consumers will be to purchase new computers with Windows 10 installed. The lone exception will be businesses with license agreements that entitle them to choose which version of Windows they want preinstalled.
The deadline puts pressure on consumers who have grown comfortable with Windows 7 and are reluctant to upgrade their operating system if they buy a new PC. For Microsoft, it's a necessary step toward its goal of having Windows 10 power 1 billion devices, which underscores the company's message that the new software can tie together PCs, tablets and mobile phones with apps that can run on any of them.
Windows 7 users may not realize it, but they actually caught a break. Microsoft typically sets the end-of-sales date for each version of Windows two years after the release of a new version. That means Windows 7's cutoff date should have been in October 2014, two years after the launch of Windows 8. The lack of consumer demand for Windows 8 prompted Microsoft to keep Windows 7 alive longer than expected.




Microsoft gives OEMs a deadline: No more new Windows 7 PCs in one year | ZDNet

Microsoft Withdraws Mainstream Support for Windows 7, But it's Not All that Bad
Microsoft Windows 7 is nearing its end-of-life and here is the first glimpse of it. On Tuesday, Microsoft ended mainstream support for the widely-popular Windows 7 desktop OS around the world. For end users, it means free phone and online support from Microsoft will no longer be offered. Also, users won't receive non-security updates like new features henceforth.

Withdrawal of mainstream support isn't as bad as it sounds. Microsoft is not holding off the security updates to patch vulnerabilities, which will continue to flow until 2020, according to Microsoft's Windows lifecycle fact sheet.

Microsoft has a standard support system for its desktop operating systems. The company offers mainstream support for any new OS for a minimum of five years or for two years after the successor product is released, whichever is longer. Then there is extended support that is offered a minimum of five years from the product's market launch or two years after the second successor product is released.

Microsoft launched Windows 7 in October 2009 and was applauded by critics and consumers after the Windows Vista debacle. The end of mainstream support comes as a major blow for its users in China, where 38.3% of the web-connected devices are powered by Windows 7. Nearly 57% still run Windows XP, which puts 95% of Chinese users out of official technical support from Microsoft, Tech Firstpost reported.

Windows 10 will reach end of life on 14 October 2025- The Inquirer

MICROSOFT HAS CONFIRMED that it will stop supporting Windows 10 on 14 October 2025, despite touting the release as the "final" version of Windows.
The company has updated its handy Windows lifecycle fact sheet to show the end of mainstream support for Windows 10 as 13 October 2020, and the end of extended support as 14 October 2025.
Windows 10 will go the way of Windows XP after this date, and Microsoft will no longer provide automatic fixes, updates and technical assistance.

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