Windows 7: This is bad news for anybody still using the classic Microsoft operating system

There was good news for Microsoft recently when it became clear that Windows 10 had overtaken Windows 7 as the most used desktop operating system on the planet. Microsoft is clear in its aim to unify all of its Windows users onto one OS (Windows 10), and the news at the turn of the year showed the software giant is making clear progress towards achieving that goal.

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There is still a long way to go, however, as the same stats that crowned Windows 10 as the most used OS also showed that there are still over 35% of all desktop users around the world using Windows 7. A new leak shows that Microsoft is prepared to act aggressively as it tries to squeeze the remaining Windows 7 users enough, so they’ll make the jump to Windows 10.

Microsoft will charge up to $200 for a year’s worth of support for Windows 7

We’ve known for a while now that Microsoft was planning to charge for the Extended Security Updates period it has granted Windows 7 users. The extension will see support for Windows 7 last until 2023 if users are prepared to pay for it. Thanks to a report from Computer World, it is now clear just how much that support will cost.

Computer World was able to get their hands on a document that laid out Microsoft’s thoughts and plans regarding the Extended Security Updates period. “We believe that the vast majority of customers who need to purchase Windows 7 ESU will need only one year of coverage… The annual price increases help cover our additional engineering costs of providing the support and are intended to incent customers to continue their momentum on Windows 10 deployments.”

There is no new news in that statement. We already know that Microsoft is trying to cut down on the costs needed to provide support for Windows 7 users. The charges are designed to both cover costs and push users towards Windows 10. With a little more digging though, Computer World was able to discover just how much those costs would be. When they reformatted the word file into a PDF the price list appeared.

Starting at $25 a year per device for Windows Enterprise users and $50 a year per device for Windows 7 Pro users, the price then doubles each year. This means that for the period January 2022 to January 2023 Windows Enterprise users will have to pay $100 per device to receive security updates for Windows 7 while Windows 7 Pro users will have to pay a massive $200 for a single year’s worth of support.

Shockingly, three years of support in total will cost $375 per device for Windows 7 Pro users. With recent news hitting about Microsoft gutting Windows Media Player on Windows 7, it looks like the classic Microsoft operating system’s days are numbered.

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