The life cycle of Windows 8, the first operating system Microsoft intended for both desktop and mobile use, has ended. After this January 2016 Patch Tuesday release, users who have not yet updated/upgraded to Windows 8.1 (which was made available in late 2013) or Windows 10 will stop receiving updates. Updating to Windows 8.1 or 10 is currently free for Windows 8 users. This particular end of support should not be a surprise: once a service pack (in this case, Windows 8.1) is released, users have approximately 24 months to upgrade before support ends.