Ouch: HP is now promoting PCs running Windows 7 (because Windows 8 isn’t doing so hot)

HP’s new Windows 7 promotion should tell you all you need to know about the state of its Windows 8 hardware.

With its latest promotion, HP is heavily pushing PCs running Windows 7, which it says it’s bringing back “by popular demand.”

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While the move can’t possibly make Microsoft too happy, it shouldn’t be too surprising to anyone who’s tried Windows 8 and immediately regretted it. While the operating system is fast, pretty, and clearly the future of Microsoft’s hardware, there are a lot of people out there who just prefer Windows 7. And that’s made them reluctant to invest in devices running Windows 8, as nice as it is.

HP, then, is doing what any sensible company would: It’s giving its customers exactly what they want.

The move is a smart one. PC sales have been on a scary, constant dip over the last few years, declining another 5.6 last quarter alone. HP’s own PC shipments declined 8.5 percent in that period to 52 million, according to IDC. (HP reported a 2 percent drop in PC revenue in its latest earnings report.)

So while many PC manufacturers are turning to Chromebooks to boost their sagging PC sales, HP is turning to Windows 7. And neither strategy is great news for Microsoft.