Next Generation Intel, AMD, Qualcomm and Other Processors to Support only Windows 10

January 20, 2016

According to story from January 19 on the PC Magazine website (www.pcmag.com), Microsoft has confirmed that all next-generation processors made by Intel, AMD, Qualcomm, and others will support Windows 10 only. The new processors will disallow downgrading to Windows 8.1 or 7. Microsoft claims that the move will allow a deeper integration between the operating system and the hardware.

A similar story on The Verge says that it will be Microsoft’s policy to discontinue support for Windows 7 and 8.1 on platforms utilizing the new processors, beginning with Intel’s “Skylake” processors.

Of interest to enterprise customers that elect to remain on Windows 7 and 8.1 for stability reasons, Microsoft will maintain a list of approved Skylake systems that the company pledges Windows 7 and 8.1 support until July 17, 2017.

It will be interesting to see how this develops over the next 12 months.

Read the PC Magazine article here.

Read The Verge article here.