One Windows to rule them all
Microsoft started sharing this vision with us shortly after the release of Windows 8.1. Jerry Nixon, a developer evangelist, was explaining how Microsoft was launching Windows 8.1, but in the background it was developing Windows 10. After the launch of Windows 8.1, Microsoft employees could talk freely about future updates to Windows 10 because there's no secret update in the works coming next. It's all just Windows 10.
Microsoft changed the way it engineers and delivers the Windows OS, and the result is Windows 10. Instead of big releases, there will be regular improvements and updates, similar to how Google updates it's Chrome browser for example. Part of this is achieved by segregating different operating system components like the Start Menu and built-in apps to be separate parts that can be updated independently to the entire Windows core operating system. It's a major game changer, but it's something Microsoft has been actively working on for Windows 10 to ensure it spans across multiple device types. This move was also in line with other plans, namely "Windows as a service".
Now, it seems that Microsoft makes an even more firm step towards it's vision for the OS platform. Important changes to its support policy lays out its plans for future updates to its older operating systems. What the new rules mean is that future PC users with next-generation Intel, AMD, and Qualcomm processors will be compatible only with Windows 10.
Microsoft and its partners will not invest significant work to make new hardware work with older versions of Windows. The old operating systems, at best, will perhaps merely lack the latest updates and at worst, they might not function properly. This doesn't mean that Windows 7 and 8.1 are no longer supported. The two operating systems will continue to get updates through January 14th, 2020 and January 10th, 2023, respectively. But that's only if you're using hardware that was contemporaneous with those operating systems.
This is mostly bad news for organizations who have old legacy systems, and thus have the tendency to cling on to old versions of Windows for as long as possible. However in order to make this transition a little smoother, Microsoft will publish a list of specific new devices they will support to run Windows 7 and Windows 8.1. That support will run for a period 18 months, ending July 17, 2017, after which those enterprise customers will be expected to upgrade to Windows 10. Examples of systems that will be on the initial release of the list include: Dell Latitude 12, Dell Latitude 13 7000 Ultrabook, Dell XPS 13; HP's EliteBook Folio, HP EliteBook 1040 G3; Lenovo ThinkPad T460s, Lenovo X1 Carbon, and Lenovo P70 models. The list will continue to be updated, Microsoft says.
Enterprise customers who still want to stick with older Windows versions beyond the 2017 deadline, have lots and lots of options. This is based on current generations of Intel processors such as the Broadwell and Haswell lines, these systems, will continue to be fully supported for pre-Windows 10 operating systems.
The idea of Windows as a service, and the notion that Windows 10 promises to be the last major version of Windows, sounds nice although it comes with disadvantages for the end user. Microsoft could opt for Windows 11 or Windows 12 in the future, but if people upgrade to Windows 10 and the regular updates do the trick then everyone will just settle for just "Windows" without even worrying about the version number.