Today is when retail sales of consumer editions of Windows 7 and Windows 8 stops. From today, original equipment manufacturers will no longer be able to bundle Windows 7 Home Basic, Home Premium and Ultimate editions as well as Windows 8 with PCs.
You will still find computers on sale in the channel running these OSes but they are likely to be clearance or end-of-line stock. Windows 7 Pro however will still be available from OEMs for at least another year, targeting mostly businesses rather than consumers.
The law of demand and supply means that some Windows 7 devices are likely to go up in price over the next few months even as Microsoft prepares for the launch of Windows 10.
Businesses will still be able to get a downgrade path to Windows 7 Pro when they buy Windows 8.1 Pro for a foreseeable future. After all, the last thing Microsoft wants to do is alienate enterprise and business buyers.
Windows 7 still accounts for the biggest share of the global desktop operating system market with the 13-year old Windows XP a distant second with Windows 8/8.1 being third.
It is also very likely that you will find a big market for genuine Windows 7 licenses on auction sites but we advise caution as Microsoft's EULA (end user license agreement) could make any second hand purchases null and void.
- Check our review of Windows 8.1, Microsoft's current commercial flagship.
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