At the end of this month, Microsoft will pull the plug on the sales of Windows 7 licenses to OEMs for most versions of the OS. What this means is that vendors, such as HP and Dell, can no longer buy the licence keys from Microsoft for the OS, but they will still be able to sell through their existing stock. So, on November 1st, Windows 7 machines wont disappear completely but they will quickly become much harder to find.
For Dell and HP, this is not good news as both companies are still pushing the five-year-old OS with promotions and prominent placing on their websites. As you can see in the images in this post, HP and Dell are still attracting enough customers who want Windows 7 to warrant placing links that are highly visible on their websites.
For OEMs, Windows 10 can't come soon enough; it's clear that some customers do not like Windows 8 and are opting for the older OS. With Windows 10 targeting such users with features like the return of the Start menu, it will likely appease this same user base. Because of this, OEMs need Windows 10 to arrive sooner rather than later to fill the void being left by the absence of Windows 7 machines.
It is important to point out that the sales stop on Windows 7 applies to Ultimate, Home, and Basic tiers, you will still be able to buy the Professional version of Windows 7 after this date. The reason for this is quite obvious as Microsoft does not want to slow sales to the enterprise channels. But for consumers, Pro is an added expense for their hardware for features they likely do not need. At this time, Microsoft has not said when the sale of Windows 7 Pro will be stopped.
The short of this is that if you are a consumer and want a machine with Windows 7 on it, this is the week to buy. If you are an IT admin and are getting nervous about the end of sales, relax - you can stilll get machines for your team.
Source: Microsoft
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