Microsoft is ending support for Windows 8 ahead of schedule
Microsoft quietly postponed the deadline for discontinuing the delivery of updates for Windows 8, thereby finally refusing to support the not-so-popular operating system. The G8 will no longer be updated from July 1, 2019, although it was previously planned to be done only in 2023. Last summer, the corporation posted an announcement on its official website. It was targeted at software developers and the post reported that the Windows 8 operating system, including the mobile version of Phone 8.x and desktop 8 and 8.1, would no longer be supported, and platform updates would not be accepted by the Microsoft Store. For the mobile OS, the date was originally set to July 1, 2019, for desktop versions, "time x" came four years later. In early April, the company changed the original text of the message without unnecessary notification, changing the originally set dates. For Windows 8, the end of support now coincides with the mobile version of the OS and comes this year. For Windows 8.1, everything remains unchanged so far, that is, it will continue to receive updates until 2023.
Windows 8 was the pioneer of all "windowing" products, becoming an experimental platform where developers attempted to create a universal Metro graphic design for both standard PCs and touch tablets and laptops. At the same time, Microsoft began supporting the ARM architecture for the first time, although previously it only extended to Intel. The new Windows eight, despite all the features, did not gain popularity among users and even collected a lot of negative opinions in its collection. The updated interface of the operating system turned out to be unusual for the majority, accustomed to the classic design, so many problems arose when adapting to the Metro graphics. Interest in Windows 8 has been weak. At the beginning of 2013, the G8 of all Windows systems occupied only 3% of the market. For Vista, the market share was 4%, and for Windows 7 it was 10%. A few months later of the same year, the company introduced an updated version of the operating system - Windows 8.1. The redesigned version received modified graphics and the familiar Start button.
So far, the announced support period for version 8.1 remains until 2023. Updates to Windows 8.1 through the Windows Store are still free for owners of the official G8. Early 2019 analytics show that version 8.1 covers 4% of the market, while regular Windows 8 covers less than 1% of user devices. The Topic of Article: Microsoft is ending support for Windows 8 ahead of schedule. |
