Microsoft quietly discontinued sales of Windows 7 to retailers on October 30, without any official announcement. The new policy was published in the Microsoft website, which also cites the “End of sales” being October 30, 2013.
The software giant will continue to ship Windows 7 to OEMs (which are the companies who preinstall the operating system on new PCs), but this will also end on October 30, 2014, which now is less than a year away. “When the retail software product reaches its end of sales date, it can still be purchased through OEMs (the company that made your PC) until it reaches the end of sales date for PC with Windows preinstalled,” — The company states.
This news shows that Microsoft is committed to keep pushing its latest operating system, Windows 8.1, further into the market, avoiding having to delay support like it happened with Windows XP.
For those wondering: “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. When a version of Windows reaches its end of sales date, it’s a good time to think about upgrading.”
Of course we’ll continue to see some Windows 7 availability online and in physical stores, as retailers have yet to clear their remaining stocks.
While Microsoft keeps touting Windows 8.1 as a superior OS, the company still have a long way to go, as Windows 7 is the most used operating system in world and it’s also the preferred choice for Windows XP users to migrate to.
Mauro Huculak is a Windows How-To Expert who started Pureinfotech in 2010 as an independent online publication. He has also been a Windows Central contributor for nearly a decade. Mauro has over 15 years of experience writing comprehensive guides and creating professional videos about Windows and software, including Android and Linux. Before becoming a technology writer, he was an IT administrator for seven years. In total, Mauro has over 21 years of combined experience in technology. Throughout his career, he achieved different professional certifications from Microsoft (MSCA), Cisco (CCNP), VMware (VCP), and CompTIA (A+ and Network+), and he has been recognized as a Microsoft MVP for many years. You can follow him on X (Twitter), YouTube, LinkedIn and About.me. Email him at [email protected].