Microsoft – the multination technology giant based in US – has stopped the sale of retail copies of some versions of Windows 7 and 8, according to the BBC.
The date to stop the sale was set a while ago, a development that would help Microsoft move people to more recent versions of the operating system (OS).
According to statistics, consumers using very old versions of the OS are finally moving to recent versions. The latest version of the OS – Windows 10 – is set to be released by the end of 2015
Consumers can now no longer buy the Home Basic, Home Premium and Ultimate versions of Windows 7. But now, even Windows 8 is unavailable. This change will affect both pre-loaded copies in PCs and laptops and retail copies sold in stores, as the Windows 8.1 version will only be preloaded and sold.
However, this will take its due time to have effect as older stock of the OS is still available to be sold to the consumers. Only few firms offer a downgrade from 8.1 to the Windows 7 Professional version.
This change in policy from Microsoft highlights their acceptance of Windows 8 (original version) failing to catch the market share as many users still preferred Windows 7. According to experts, this change will also make way for the arrival of Windows 10.
Published in The Express Tribune, November 4th, 2014.
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