The Redmond-based company is already working on its long-term strategy

Nov 25, 2012 14:39 GMT  ·  By

Windows 8 was officially launched last month, but the Redmond-based technology titan is already working on its long-term strategy.

The company has just announced that mainstream support for Windows 8 will end on January 9, 2018, while extended support will be provided until January 10, 2023.

Windows RT, Microsoft’s very own Windows flavor designed for tablets, will continue to receive mainstream support until April 11, 2017. The company is yet to announce whether it wishes to offer extended support for this version as well.

“Office Home and Student 2013 RT has the same lifecycle policy as Windows RT,” Microsoft says via its official support forums.

Microsoft has already confirmed that work on Windows 9 is now in progress, but release dates are, obviously, yet to be disclosed, as the Redmondians still struggle to convince users to make the move to its new Windows 8 OS.