Only Latest Technology PCs will run Windows 10 – Confirms Microsoft
Now this can be termed as nothing else but a bombshell by Microsoft. It has been revealed that the latest chips from Intel or any other manufacturer won’t be supporting the older versions of Windows, so Windows 10 will only work on latest PCs.
In a nutshell, Microsoft’s executive vice president Terry Myerson stated that the new processors cannot reliably run the older Windows versions and therefore, won’t be supported. He wrote in a blog post that:
“Going forward, as new silicon generations are introduced, they will require the latest Windows platform at that time for support.”
Hence, users of Windows won’t be able to run let’s say Win7 on the 6th Generation Intel Core “Skylake” processors, the shipping of which into systems starts from today.
The key point to be noted here is that latest processors will only support Win10. These chips may include Intel’s forthcoming “Kaby Lake” silicon, AMD’s “Bristol Ridge” processor and Qualcomm’s “8996” chip.
Myerson further acknowledged:
“Windows 7 was designed nearly 10 years ago.” “Redesigning Windows 7… to embrace new generations of silicon would introduce churn into the Windows 7 code base.”
In simple words: Keeping the older Windows versions updated with the latest or forthcoming chip technology would be next to impossible.
That being said, it is apparent that not all are going to be very happy with this turn of events or rather chips.
According to Network World: “Supposedly Microsoft is ‘clarifying’ its Windows support policy, but completely changing it might be another interpretation.” Whereas ComputerWorld complained: “I’d be screaming at my MS rep if I were an IT manager.”
Fortunately, this new policy won’t be implemented very soon. Win 7 and Win 8.1 will be supported up to July 17, 2017, by computer systems using Intel’s Skylake chip.
But, Microsoft quickly clarified that:
“During the 18-month support period, these systems should be upgraded to Windows 10 to continue receiving support after the period ends.”
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When the due date arrives, only the most critically important security updates for Win 7 and Win8.1 will be addressed for these particular configurations, stated Microsoft.
However, no matter how inconvenient this policy change may sound, we cannot characterize it as a nefarious plan from Microsoft to force enterprises to buy new, latest PCs with Win10.
Though this may be a reason but Microsoft is also making efforts in making Windows a more reliable and secure platform because of the longstanding criticism its software has received in comparison to Apple’s tight grip on OS X operating system.
Bob O’Donnell, TECHnalysis Research president said:
“Matching the latest with the latest silicon is a way for the entire PC ecosystem to guarantee the best possible performance moving forward.”
Moreover, security is a big enough reason. On Intel’s Skylake chip, Windows 10’s security has improved, said Myerson.
You don’t need to panic if you are using Windows 7, 8.1 or older versions, because Win7 will be supported up to January 14, 2020, for “security, reliability, and compatibility” on Intel and AMD processors.
As per Myerson:
“Windows 8.1 will receive the same support through January 10, 2023. This includes most of the devices available for purchase today by consumers or .”