HP Promotes Windows 7 PCs in Marketing Campaign

HP is encouraging customers to purchase a Windows 7 personal computer in a new marketing campaign.

It features savings of $150, and is presented on HP’s website saying that the Windows 7 operating system is "back by popular demand" – compared to the less popular Windows 8 operating system.

HP was sending e-mails to potential customers as well to let them know "Windows 7 is back" and that they can take advantage of Windows 7 promotions, according to The Los Angeles Times.  And HP is offering five Windows 7 devices on its website, which include three desktops and two laptops, according to PC Magazine.

Yet, HP will still sell Windows 8 and the newer Windows 8.1 devices – despite the new marketing push for Windows 7. Windows 8 was debuted in Oct. 2012, with Windows 8.1 more recently offered by Microsoft (News - Alert).

In a statement, HP did not condemn Windows 8, but more generally explained, “We have been offering Windows 7 since Windows 8 became available, and we will continue to offer a broad set of choices for our customers.”

“It’s not uncommon for partners to sell a mix of different PC models including previous versions of Windows, until the operating system no longer is under mainstream support,” Michael Thacker, an HP spokesman, added in the statement.

Microsoft is likely to soon release Windows 9. It may be similar to those operating systems released before Windows 8.

However, Microsoft reports Windows 8 and 8.1 have over 10 percent of operating system market share, according to Net Applications.

“We remain committed to continuous innovation to not only help our customers realize their full potential, but make the most of every moment—wherever they are, wherever they go; at any time, on any device,” according to a statement from Microsoft carried by The Seattle Times.

The challenges facing Microsoft 8 and 8.1 also come as consumers and businesses have often opted for tablets or other mobile devices rather than PCs.

Looking at the issue more carefully, ZDNet claims HP “never stopped selling Windows 7 PCs, and it's actually selling fewer Windows 7 models today than it did last summer.”

“This is nothing new,” the report said. “It’s a clever pitch by HP, not a change in sales strategy.”

HP now offers 5 PCs running Windows 7 and 68 running Windows 8 or 8.1, ZDNet said. HP offered 8 Windows 7 PCs and 61 Windows 8 models as of the summer of 2013, ZDNet adds.