Sale of PCs with Microsoft Windows 7 and 8.1 to end next year
Microsoft windows users who are cagey to use the Windows 10 environment because they are not "familiar" with it have at least a year to go to do so. According to reports, the Redmond-based giant will implement discontinuation of sales of PCs that come pre-installed with Windows 7 by November 2016 and Windows 8.1 by January.
According to industry follower ZDNet, a post on the Windows Lifestyle Fact Sheet has been updated. The post now shows that users and equipment manufacturers only have until November next year to pre-install Windows 7 Professional and 8.1. Basically, this means that laptop, 2-in-1 workstations, and desktop companies only have until Oct. 31, 2016 to release new products that come with the previous versions of Windows platform.
Some manufacturers have already come out with products that come pre-installed with the new Windows 10 platform. However, there is still a majority of companies that prefer the more stable environment that is Windows 7. In addition, Microsoft has already said that it will not require users to immediately upgrade to the newer version of Windows and users can update at their own pace.
In addition, there are also reports that some users are wary of Window 10's auto-sync feature. This means that aside from the Windows 10 environment tailoring data to suit the user's preferences (mined through Cortana, search index, and others), the same data is being supplied to Microsoft. The Redmond-based company, however, assured fans that the only data gained from Windows 10 is only for general use and personal information is not included. Also, there are strict security measures in place to protect the data.
Although Windows 7 and 8.1 will discontinue by next year, Microsoft will still continue to support the two previous environments and the original schedule for support and updates did not change. Users who prefer the previous Windows versions may still use them, and support will continue for the Windows 7 until Jan. 14, 2020. Security updates for Windows 8.1, meanwhile, will end on Jan. 10, 2023.
