Microsoft Edge and Windows 7 and 8 Lose Support in January.
The overall picture: Windows 7 and Windows 8, introduced in 2009 and 2012, received opposing user reviews. The former was comparable to XP, while the latter was considered a disaster. Both operating systems lose support next month.
It’s 2009. Nvidia GTX 295 leads the graphics card market, Apple introduced the iPhone 3G, and Microsoft released Windows 7, which consumers praised. After two years, 45% of PC owners had installed Windows 7.
Windows 8 arrives in three years. In case you forgot, Windows 8 launched sans the Start menu and focused on modern tile design. Windows 8 barely increased market share after two years.
Microsoft launched a Windows 8.1 update a year later after substantial consumer criticism. Despite Windows 8.1’s improvements, Windows 8’s reputation persisted. Windows 7 and Windows 10 have gained market share in eight months, whereas Windows 8.1 has never held more than 19.1%.
Microsoft provides “basic” and “advanced” OS support. Windows 7 lost basic support in January 2015 and extended support in January 2020. Microsoft offered a fee-based three years of support for Windows 7, which still made up approximately 25% of Windows installations.
The OS will stop receiving updates on January 10, 2023. Windows 8 basic support terminated January 2018. Its extended support ends January 10, 2023.
Microsoft Edge will also stop receiving updates for Windows 7 and 8 after January 12, 2023. After this date, Microsoft Webview2, which lets Edge show web pages outside the browser, stops working.
Microsoft is not alone in rejecting outdated operating systems. Google said in October that Chrome for Windows 7 and 8.1 would be discontinued in 2023.
Windows 7’s retirement is sad. Windows 7 has more than 10% market share 13 years after its inception because users prefer it. Windows 8 is only 2.53% as of November 2022.
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