Microsoft Calls Time On Windows 7 Sales

All new computers shipping with Microsoft software will have to support Windows 10 from next year, the company has announced, sounding the end for the likes of Windows 7.

From October 31 2016, manufacturers such as Dell, HP, and Lenovo will all have to stop shipping new PCs with Windows 7 or Windows 8.1 pre-installed, and instead package them with the latest version of Microsoft’s operating system.

The news comes shortly after it was revealed that Microsoft will begin automatically downloading Windows 10 install files to machines still currently running Windows 7 and Windows 8 machines from next year as the company looks to to get Windows 10 running on more than one billion devices.

Ending soon

It was revealed yesterday that although the overall market share of Windows 10 continues to grow, the rate of adoption is beginning to slow slightly, as manufacturers prepare their first devices with the software pre-installed.

Data from industry observers Netmarketshare estimated that Windows 10 now has 7.94 percent of the total PC operating system market, which should soon be boosted by mobile and Xbox users being upgraded to the system within the next few months.

Read More: Windows 10 Review

A recent TechWeekEurope poll showed that 75 percent of readers plan to download Windows 10, which has been greeted by a strong critical response.

Microsoft is also reportedly preparing the first major update to Windows 10, codenamed ‘Threshold 2’, for launch later this month, promising a wide range of user interface and software improvements to Windows 10, including updates to some of the most popular apps such as Messaging and Skype.

It will also include the option of coloured title bars for desktop apps, improved context menus, and an extra column of Live Tiles for the Start menu.

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