By popular demand, HP has brought back support for Windows 7, and the company is emailing PC users to let them know that they can purchase a new HP computer with Windows 7, and not Windows 8, installed. This move, however, is not a forever deal; it's currently a promotion and could end at any time.
If users visit the HP website and navigate to desktop PCs, they will only be presented with Windows 7 computers. If a user wants a PC with Windows 8, however, then they will have to customize the section using the optional filters setting. While the laptop section does showcase Windows 8 devices, it also advertises a Windows 7 laptop for interested parties. Furthermore, even HP's All-In-One Android computer is being advertised as an alternative to Windows 8, which says a lot about how consumers feel towards the operating system.
HP has become the first major PC vendor to favor Windows 7 over Windows 8 and it hopes to make it a huge selling point. If it works out well for the company, then we expect other vendors such as Dell, Lenovo, Asus, Toshiba and Samsung, to follow and offer Windows 7 as the best option over Windows 8.
This isn't the first time, however, that PC vendors have done something like this. In the past, when consumers turned their backs on Windows Vista, several PC vendors chose to sell desktops and laptops with Windows XP installed, which was one of the reasons for Vista's early retirement.
What HP is doing here is clearly a move to position Windows 7 over Windows 8, Microsoft's touch centric operating system that failed to gain any traction among computer users since it launched back in 2012. At this point in the game, Microsoft has clearly given up despite releasing Windows 8.1, an update that focused on fixing a lot of the issues found in the operating system.
Recent reports have claimed that Microsoft is now focusing on Windows 9, which it aims to release in 2015. That's a long way off, and by then the software giant could lose significant market share to rivals such as Google and Apple. However, it could be a good move because if the rumors are true, then Windows 9 should do away with the Metro start screen for desktops and laptops with a certain screen size. Windows tablets, however will still be heavily Metro-focused without the traditional desktop interface.
