Microsoft and Google synchronize calendars for Windows 7 support
Time’s running out, Windows 7.
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What you need to know
Some variants of Windows 7 are still receiving a small bit of love from Microsoft. Those editions are Windows 7 SP1 and Windows 7 Professional for Embedded Systems, which are enjoying time in the Extended Security Update (ESU) Program. However, on January 10, 2023, that’s all over, and Google is now committed to matching Microsoft’s timeline for offering support to the elderly operating system.
Microsoft ESU support ends for the aforementioned versions of Windows 7 on January 10, 2023. And now, Google has announced that Chrome will set its sights on a similar date for its Windows 7 support commitments. Users can enjoy Windows 7 support on Chrome “through” January 15, 2023. You can readGoogle’s post on the subjectto decipher what exactly that means, since it’s not a hard doomsday declaration, but it certainly lines up peculiarly well with Microsoft’s ownend-of-support datefor the old OS.
Some may wonder who is still using Windows 7 in 2021 or why this news even matters. To those folks, consider: As of September 2021, Windows 7 was poweringnearly 10%of all Steam users' machines. And in some parts of the world, even older operating systems are king of the hill. Just look atWindows XP, which still holds a dominant market share in some pockets of the globe.
The point is, no matter how irrelevant an OS may seem in the age ofWindows 11, there’s almost certainly a large contingent of people still using it. This sentiment especially applies to Windows 7, which many regard as a success for Microsoft.
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Robert Carnevale is the News Editor for Windows Central. He’s a big fan of Kinect (it lives on in his heart), Sonic the Hedgehog, and the legendary intersection of those two titans, Sonic Free Riders. He is the author ofCold War 2395. Have a useful tip? Send it to robert.carnevale@futurenet.com.
