Microsoft will begin sending notifications to Windows 8.1 users next month to remind them that their aging operating system will be reaching end of support relatively soon. As noted on an end of support page for Windows 7 and Windows 8.1, Microsoft is planning to sunset support for the latter version of the OS on January 10, 2023. The company will no longer provide security updates or technical support for Windows 8.1 after this date. Windows 8.1 was launched in October 2013 to make up for Windows 8’s failings, addressing complaints with new features such as an improved Start screen and visible Start button on the taskbar. Statistics from Statcounter suggest that WIndows 8.1 remains the fourth most popular Windows version, with 3.06% market share. Windows 10 and Windows 11 have captured 71.82% and 10.08%, respectively.
Despite the Windows 8.1 update improvements, the Windows 8 era will be one Microsoft and many of its customers will be keen to forget. Microsoft attempted to modernize Windows in the face of iPad competition, and ended up alienating many of its loyal customers instead. Windows 10 arrived in 2015 and walked back many of Windows 8’s boldest changes, and Windows 11 has gone even further by removing the Windows Phone-like Live Tiles from the Start menu and overhauling many of the ancient relics that have existed in Windows for decades.
Discussion (2 replies)
Join Discussion →Not even going to waste the time to find the forums of those saying they won't abandon it but this was an OS I pretty much jumped to 10 from within months or weeks after its release. I can understand all those who don't want to leave 7 but I doubt there are that many still clinging to it. I'd only gotten 8/8.1 in order to use the latest DX APIs and it was the oddest Windows OS I've ever used. It was like the Dos 3.0 of Windows. It was an improvement over 8 but still pretty weird.
Never used Win8, and still sometimes forget it even existed.
All you suckaz running Win7, Win10, or even Win11 hella missed out. The best Windows ever made was Windows 9, and it was only released to a select elite few. It also won't ever go EoL, Microsoft has pledged to support it for life. That's what I'm running. No other Windows OS comes close. The last OS you'll ever need for the rest of your life. So good it will even get those Linux nutballs to switch over to Windows. Once I got Win9 I stopped booting into Manjaro. If Microsoft released Win9 to public, Apple would cease to exist the following day. That's how devastating the blow would be. Microsoft cares about the health of the market though, so they won't annihilate Apple. Not anytime soon anyways.
If you want I can hook you guys up. PayPal me $450 and I'll send you the Win9 ISO.