Windows 8 has been a failure in many ways, prompting some people to compare it to the utter disaster of Vista. While it may not be as bad, the OS has been less than satisfactory for many users, forcing them to re-install Windows 7.
HP is now promoting the old operating system as well, insisting that as a result of “popular demand” it is including Windows 7 on some of its computers. Considering that the OS is nearly five years old, HP must be seeing a large amount of customers interested in buying a new Windows 7 machine for it to be worth the switch.
Windows 8.1 has fixed some of the issues present in the original version of the new OS, but in many ways, Windows 7 is still superior. With reports suggesting that Microsoft will be coming out with Windows 9 as early as next year, it is obvious that the decision to move towards the touch-based Metro UI was not a good idea and led to many of the problems found with Windows 8 and 8.1.
According to a press release, HP will allow customers to order computers with either the Home or Pro versions of the older operating system.
Ever since the early days of Windows, new versions of the OS have always been hit or miss. The vast majority of people who made the switch from XP to Vista absolutely hated the change and due to outcry for consumers, Microsoft extended support for XP in case people wanted to use the older OS as well. Although this situation is different in that some customers genuinely prefer Windows 8, it is easy to tell that Windows 7 has continued to be one of the most stable versions of the platform.
Windows 7 will continue to see regular support from Microsoft until sometime in January 2015, with extended and limited support continuing on until 2020.
Summary: HP has announced that it will begin shipping devices with Windows 7 Home and Pro for customers interested in using the older OS rather than Windows 8/8.1. According to HP, the decision to offer Windows 7 machines came from “popular demand”, something that makes sense considering the negative reviews of Windows 8.
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