By Yoon Sung-won
Microsoft discontinued retail sales of its Windows 8 operating system last Friday, some two years after the product was first launched in 2012.
The move comes amid speculation that the company is withdrawing Windows 8 due to its worse-than-expected response in the market due to its unfamiliar user interface.
Microsoft said, “The decision follows a standardized timeline for all Windows series and the timing is not earlier than its predecessors.”
According to data by market researcher NetMarketShare, only 16.8 percent of Internet-connected personal computers have Windows 8 or its update Windows 8.1, while 53 percent has Windows 7.
The market share of Windows XP, whose sales stopped on October 2010, held 17.2 percent share, the data showed.
Retailers can no longer order more Windows 8 software packages. However, they can still sell the packages they already have in inventory. Personal computer manufactures also can sell the operating system by installing it on their products.
Software update support for Windows 8 will be continued until January 2023 and the retail sales of the Windows 8.1 version will not be affected by the recent decision, said the company.
Alongside Windows 8, the company said retailers can no longer sell three types of Windows 7 ― Home Basic, Home Premium and Ultimate ― even by installing them on new personal computers.
Those who want to buy a computer with Windows 7 need to look for a stocked product with preinstalled Windows 7 or get the Professional version of it, which has been excluded from the discontinuation of sale.
Companies using the volume license version of Windows 7 can also continue to use it.
Meanwhile, the ending of retail sales of Windows 8 raises expectation for the next-generation Windows 10, which the company says will be released in the latter half of next year.
Microsoft released a technical preview of Windows 10 on Oct. 1 and said it will improve many functions that have been pointed out as flaws of the previous Windows.
The sales method of the new Windows also raises anticipation, as Apple has released its latest Mac OS X for free.
The company has not announced if the new Windows will be sold in the same way as its predecessors, be released for free, or adopt a monthly subscription plan.
Mike Silver, vice president of the global market researcher Gartner, said in a recent conference that Microsoft will have no other option but to offer a free upgrade for the existing Windows users to continue to use its operating system.