Though Windows 8 was only released in late 2012, the operating system will cease to receive security updates from Microsoft from January 12. There’s a peculiar – but good – reason for that…
Microsoft’s policy is to issue regular security updates to each version of Windows for at least ten years following its launch. Hence, Windows Vista users are supported until April 11, 2017, while Windows 7 users similarly benefit until January 14, 2020.
So, why is Microsoft pulling the plug on these updates for Windows 8 so soon? It’s because, as explained by Ed Bott on ZDNet, Microsoft considers Window 8.1 a service pack for Windows 8, rather than a separate release of Windows. Therefore, Windows 8 users will be left out in the cold from Tuesday unless they upgrade to Windows 8.1 or Windows 10.
Windows 8.1, which is available from the Windows Store and free in almost all instances, will get support until January 10, 2023, while the Windows 10 lifecycle is not set to expire until October 14, 2025.
