Just yesterday, we reported that Microsoft quietly discontinued the sale of Windows 7 to retailers. Now, within a few hours, it appears that Microsoft may have changed their minds. According to the Windows lifecycle webpage, the retail software end of sales life of Windows 7 shows “to be determined.”
“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,” Microsoft explains on the lifecycle website.
We reported yesterday that Windows 7 had reached its end of sales life on October 30th of this year – with an end of PC sales on October 30th of 2014. Now, it appears that Microsoft either accidentally entered the wrong dates or decided to quietly extend the end of sales date, as the lifecycle page now says something completely different.
As of right now, Windows 7 end of software sales is “to be determined” and end of PC sales is “to be determined.” Did Microsoft have a change of heart, seeing as how Windows 7 is still quite popular? Or did Microsoft originally publish the wrong dates. We will update you once we receive word from Microsoft.
Update: Microsoft has confirmed the October 30th end of sales life for Windows 7 – but has not provided a clear date on when the sales of PCs would end. “We apologize for any confusion this may have caused our customers. We’ll have more details to share about the Windows 7 lifecycle once they become available. Additionally, we are confirming that the Retail software end of sales date for Windows 7 did happen on October 30, 2013,” a Microsoft spokesperson stated.
