Windows 7 OEM sales to cease on 31st October 2016

[HEXUS]

Microsoft appears to be confident that Windows 10 will satisfy business users after that date.

Read more.

[scaryjim]

Microsoft's decision to name a date shows some confidence that it can get businesses to migrate from Windows 7 to Windows 10, suggests Mr Bott.

Unlikely: it just gives businesses who want to stay on Windows 7 a target date for when they need to buy their next round of hardware. Given refresh cycles in most business are between 3 and 5 years, that's still plenty of opportunity for any businesses who buy their PCs preinstalled to keep Windows 7 until 2021.

And that's not considering the large corporations who'll be on Win 7 Enterprise through volume licensing and will be able to just keep imaging their own machines 'til the cows come home...

[rob4001]

My dad has mild dementia switching OS is bad because it confuses him. I wish if they were going to force you to change you could reskin like win7

[jigger]

Microsoft's decision to name a date shows some confidence that it can get businesses to migrate from Windows 7 to Windows 10, suggests Mr Bott.

I think Mr Bott has got that a little backwards. If MS are so confident in Windows 10 then why pull the plug on Windows 7 so early. Seems to me Windows 7, 8, 8.1 are seen as a threat to Windows 10.

[scaryjim]

... I wish if they were going to force you to change you could reskin like win7

They're not forcing anyone to change. They're simply withdrawing Win 7 from the market. You won't be able to buy a new computer with Win 7 on it after October 2016. You're welcome to keep using Win 7 for as long as you want.