When Win8 first appeared, Microsoft sort of bullied the OEM computer makers into putting it on all their new machines as the default. Quite a few OEMs had unsold Win7 that they offered as free, and later as lower cost "downgrades" so that people could easily switch back.

If you bought a new machine with Win8, it might still be possible to persuade the manufacturer to swap you back to Win7, or to sell you an OEM licensed Win7, although I haven't seen any advertising that says they can still do it.

Few corporate IT departments have made the switch to Win8, which may partly account for the rather sluggish initial sales. The "big guys" that have stayed in Win7 probably have the clout to make Mickey continue support - and sales - of Win7 to them but no recent reports have said much about whether you can by the FRP (full retail package) new Win7 from any, or many, storefront sellers.

(Some "discount" web retailers may be selling OEM licensed copies, but Microsoft won't support an OEM copy and if you buy from a retailer neither will the OEM who "owns" the license, so some caution is advised when looking at "bargains.")

It's not new news that Win8 new installations have lagged even behind Vista initial distros. Anyone who's been watching has known that since they started shipping to the OEMs several weeks before they let anyone start selling/shipping Win8 to users.

John