Microsoft flip-flops on Intel Skylake end-of-life dates

Posted on Monday, August 15 2016 @ 11:07 CEST by Thomas De Maesschalck
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The Inquirer reports Microsoft is having trouble making up its mind about Intel's Skylake platform, but fortunately the latest snippet of news is good news for consumers and businesses. Originally, the software giant planned to cut off support for Windows 7 and 8.1 users with Intel Skylake-based hardware on July 17, 2018, a weird decision that was made before these processors were even in widespread use. Some critics wrote this move was nothing but a ploy to get clients to upgrade to Windows 10 as fast as possible.

Now with the free Windows 10 upgrade offer no longer available, Microsoft changed its mind and says it will support the Skylake platform to the end-of-life (EOL) dates of the applicable operating system:
In the case of Windows 7, that's 14 January 2020, and for Windows 8.1 it's 10 January 2023. For users of Windows 8, that product is actually already EOL and you should update to Windows 8.1 immediately - though Windows 10 is no longer available as a freebie, the 8 to 8.1 path remains open and indeed highly recommended.

Microsoft explains: "This change is made possible through the strong partnership with our OEM partners and Intel who will be performing security update validation testing and upgrade testing for 6th Gen Intel Core systems running Windows 7 and Windows 8.1 through the end of support dates."


About the Author

Thomas De Maesschalck

Thomas has been messing with computer since early childhood and firmly believes the Internet is the best thing since sliced bread. Enjoys playing with new tech, is fascinated by science, and passionate about financial markets. When not behind a computer, he can be found with running shoes on or lifting heavy weights in the weight room.



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