MS to sell XP until June 2008 after Vista backlash
updated 09:40 am EDT, Fri September 28, 2007
MS Sells XP Until June 08
Microsoft will continue to sell both retail and OEM (pre-installed) copies of Windows XP for five months more than originally planned, the company announced today. Although plans would originally have dropped both versions from stores by January 2008, the new extension will remove the OS only by June 30th of that year -- nearly a year and a half after Windows Vista's January 2007 debut. The company officially justified the move by pointing out that many past versions of Windows were on sale for roughly two years after their replacements were available and that it was "a little ambitious" to drop XP in half the time, according to corporate VP for Windows product management Mike Nash. However, the executive also admitted that at least some customers were not ready to jump to Vista and that XP would be necessary for awhile longer.
"We are committed to helping customers of all sizes with the transition," Nash said. "Some need more time, and we understand and respect that. [...] We did get clear feedback that there was a set of customers who needed a bit more time."
The software developer has encountered an unprecedented level of resistance to its Windows upgrade since its release early this year, with large-scale computer builders such as Dell restoring an XP option either due to a lack of stable hardware drivers or customer complaints relating to software compatibility and performance. Microsoft recently began offering an XP downgrade licensing option for system builders who wanted to let customers fall back to the earlier OS for systems that would normally ship with Vista. For its part, Microsoft maintained that Vista was the fastest-selling version of Windows to date and noted that far more people were choosing to upgrade through buying a new PC rather than a stand-alone copy. The firm did not say whether the shift was just evidence of stronger growth in system sales or a decline in sales of upgrade copies.
The developer also noted, however, that it would continue to sell XP Starter Edition for considerably longer, phasing out the software for the developing world by June 30th, 2010. Systems sold in these regions sometimes do not meet the recommended or required specifications for Vista and so need to use XP; continuing to sell the software would encourage system makers to offer legitimate copies rather than pirated versions, Nash said.
die microsoft
09/28, 09:47am reply
DIE!
Herod
Fresh-Faced Recruit
Joined: Jun 2007
Nice move...
09/28, 09:48am reply
...to give users a choice of which operating system to use. Good to keep all bases covered in case there's a lack of drivers or whatever doesn't work with the new system. It even allows users a period of adjustment.
Constable Odo
Fresh-Faced Recruit
Joined: Aug 2007
of course
09/28, 10:39am reply
That's because Vista is even buggier than XP, and full functions of Vista isn't even available on all currently shipping machines. So people want to use the less buggy version of Windows.
dliup
Fresh-Faced Recruit
Joined: Jan 2006
there are alternatives
09/28, 10:41am reply
In contrast, the upcoming Mac OSX that is scheduled for release in October can run on Macs up to 6 years old. Linux is backwards compatible too, so why get winsoze?
dliup
Fresh-Faced Recruit
Joined: Jan 2006
It's pretty, but
09/28, 03:26pm reply
Vista, just the OS, mind you, drains hardware capabilities leaving very little power left for heavy lifting tasks like rendering, mixing, editing, and other tasks computers are really suited for.
People I know who bought computers with this OS pre-installed were dismayed to find that the copies of software they needed
danviento
Fresh-Faced Recruit
Joined: Dec 2005
re:there are alternatives
09/29, 01:47am reply
In contrast, the upcoming Mac OSX that is scheduled for release in October can run on Macs up to 6 years old. Linux is backwards compatible too, so why get winsoze?
Sorry, but what 6 year old computers can 10.5 run on? I know my 3+ year old iBook is not compatible. All G3 machines are out, period (apple didn't even bother trying to support them).
And Vista can run on older hardware too, just not with 'full fluff', which is just like how OS X wouldn't run with full fluff because of Quartz Extreme requirements.
testudo
Fresh-Faced Recruit
Joined: Aug 2001
6 year old
09/29, 10:43am reply
My PM MDD 867 (6 years old) runs 10.4 quite well, and I will likely upgrade to 10.5. And it runs "with all the fluff"
macbones
Fresh-Faced Recruit
Joined: Jul 2006
nice move?
09/29, 01:17pm reply
It was not a "nice" move, it was a move forced by the backlash from users who were agreesively being pushed into Vista, before it's ready for primetime (for corporate IT, hefty hardware requirements, security and driver issues make Vista a cumbersome deployment).
Aside from being massively late to market, Vista is not brand spanking new. It's been out for awhile now and Microsoft was trying to push its adoption down everyone's throats a bit more aggressively than in the past. Simply didn't work.
I've been using Vista almost since it came out, and I do think it is an improvement overall, in terms of user experience of just the OS itself. But when I jump back to XP, I really appreciate the speed and the lack of security dialogs.
rtbarry
Fresh-Faced Recruit
Joined: Aug 2001