Now that we’re very close to the October 31 deadline when Microsoft is officially putting an end to new Windows 7 PC sales, everyone is also checking out the dates when support for this particular OS version will be retired, mostly because the majority of users are still running it as we speak.
Windows 7 with Service Pack 1 will officially reach end of mainstream support on January 13, 2015, while extended support will continue to be offered until January 14, 2020.
What’s more, some people hope that Microsoft will at some point take the same decision as for Windows XP and will agree to extend Windows 7 support, especially because many people are expected to continue running this OS version when end of support dates are reached.
That’s no likely to happen, however, so in early 2020, Windows 7 should no longer be running on any PC out there, as the risks of staying on an unsupported operating system are pretty much obvious.
But in case you’re hoping for extended Windows 7 support, that’s not going to happen for two different reasons:
The company believes that extending XP support was a mistake
Look at what’s happening with Windows XP right now. Microsoft officially pulled the plug on Windows XP this year in April, two years after the original end of support date that it had planned for this OS version.
According to Larry Seltzer of ZDNet, Microsoft itself admits that extending Windows XP support was a big mistake, especially because users delayed the transition to a newer OS, some hoping that another extension could be announced.
That didn’t happen whatsoever, so Windows XP continues to be one of the top operating systems worldwide, with figures indicating that it could take years until it disappears completely.
Windows 7 might become the new Windows XP
Windows 7 is currently installed on more than 50 percent of the world’s desktop computers, and there’s no doubt that, in case the company decides to extend its support, many users would stick to it until the very last minute. The same happened with XP and could also happen with 7, but it all depends on how Microsoft plays its card.
Windows 10 is undoubtedly playing a key role in this because it’s specifically designed to tackle Windows 7 and bring users running this old OS version on a newer platform, thus not only boosting adoption for the new platform, but also lowering the market share of its predecessors.
Obviously, everything seems a lot easier on paper, so it remains to be seen if Microsoft can work this out in an effective manner.
source:softpedia
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