Windows 8 Compatible with Windows 7 Hardware and Software

Windows 8 will play nice with the ecosystem of products designed for Windows, including the hardware and software built for Windows 7.
No real surprise here. After all, one of Windows’ core features, or sins according to some, is related to legacy support.

This implies that Windows 8 will automatically support applications and hardware which were launched long before its predecessor, and not just those tailored to Windows 7.

“The gateway to get to Windows 8 is Windows 7, and we will have backward compatibility with Windows 7 embedded into Windows 8. That's something that we're very committed to. But that's a really important first pillar,” Kevin Turner, Microsoft Chief Operating Officer said at the Worldwide Partner Conference 2011.

The same had been underlined earlier this week, also at WPC 2011 by Tami Reller, Corporate Vice President and CFO, Windows & Windows Live.

Reller assured customers that Windows 8 will allow them to benefit from their existing hardware and software investment.

Windows 8 also runs the existing Windows apps that you use and love. They are just as easy to switch to, and you can use them alongside your new Windows 8 apps. This is especially important to business users.

I remember when Windows Vista came out, the issues that customers had with the new system requirements of the operating system. Vista automatically implied increased hardware costs and a boost in software investment, since compatibility took a hit.

The same won’t happen with the transition from Windows 7 to Windows 8, Microsoft stresses. In fact, migrations should go as seamless as possible.

“We talked about continuing on with the important trend that we started with Windows 7, keeping system requirements either flat or reducing them over time. Windows 8 will be able to run on a wide range of machines because it will have the same requirements or lower,” Reller added.

“And, we've also built intelligence into Windows 8 so that it can adapt to the user experience based on the hardware of the user. So, whether you're upgrading an existing PC, or buying a new one, Windows will adapt to make the most of that hardware.

“For our business customers, your customers, this is an important element because the ability of Windows 8 to run on Windows 7 devices ensures that the hardware investments that these customers are making today will be able to take advantage of Windows 8 in the future. And there's beautiful hardware in the market today.”