Windows Vista's tiny user base will see official support end one year from now

Yet another version of Windows is entering the home stretch of its support life. One year from today, on April 11, 2017, Microsoft will end all software updates for Windows Vista.

Vista's support end will only affect a tiny percentage of PC users. According to Net Application's latest OS market share numbers, Vista is only on 1.41% on all PCs. That's below the number of Linux PC users and well below those of Windows XP, which is still used by 10.9% of PCs even though Microsoft ended its support over two years ago.

Windows Vista launched in January 2007, over five years after the launch of its predecessor Windows XP and after a number of development delays. Among its many new features, Vista included a revamped graphical user interface called Aero. However, its high system requirements, its lack of compatible drivers for third-party hardware devices at launch, and many more issues caused many Windows XP users to skip upgrading to Vista. This caused Microsoft to extend the support life for Windows XP from the normal 10 years to over 12 years.

Vista was finally succeeded by Windows 7, which launched in October 2009 and became a major upgrade success for Microsoft. Mainstream support for Windows Vista, which means that the OS would no longer receive any major new features or upgrades, ended on April 10, 2012. One year from now, the security updates for the OS will also come to an end.