10/03/2008, 4:55pm, EDT
Friday, October 3rdMicrosoft XP downgrades extended to July?
Microsoft has extended its Windows XP downgrade program for six months past its original cutoff date, according to an email reportedly circulating among system builders. Though the company had originally set the XP pre-install option to shut down as of January 31st 2009, the new message is said to extend that deadline to July 31st. The official goal is to transition businesses, which were the original targets of the extension, over to Windows 7 by allowing them to buy new XP-based systems up to a point where the subsequent upgrade would demand Windows 7.
The delay if accurate would draw out the availability of XP for non-budget PCs until just months before the release of the next-generation Windows operating system expected in early 2010. The remaining window would be the smallest in recent memory where the current version of Windows was available exclusively.
Although Vista adoption has accelerated since computer makers have had to discontinue XP sales for consumer systems earlier in June, Microsoft has routinely struggled to counter negative perceptions formed early in Vista's history and has seen stiffer resistance from businesses whose software and hardware is more likely to be incompatible with the more recent Windows platform.
The original extension is commonly known to have stemmed from pressure by PC assemblers concerned that business sales would draw to a halt without guarantees of XP availability for some systems.
Filed under: industry, software
Other story tags: Microsoft, Vista, Windows 7
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so
this means that windows 7 is now semi-officially delayed?
XP lives!
Regardless of whether people love or hate Vista, Windows XP is still a perfectly capable OS that works well enough for everyday users. If I were an IT manager I'd stick with XP unless there was some really compelling reason to use Vista, and so far Microsoft hasn't provided one. Maybe that's where they should aim the $300 million ad campaign.
Come on Steve!
This is the point where Apple could come in a clean up with a version of OS X that runs on the PC. We know there are fairly stable versions of Darwin out there already and that it could be done with little effort. In this current economy people do not want to trash perfectly good hardware to run Vista. Darwin would run perfectly fine on a 1.6ghz PC without a ton of video memory. Otherwise our only option is a Linux port and it's very unlikely those will ever reach the level of maturity OSX has.
Ballmers baby
Vista is crap. No one I know who has it likes it for one reason or another, about 6 from 10 downgraded-depending on how you look at it-to XP.
Many have switched and are happier for it. I just hope Ballmer keeps sticking it to the windows user. Apple never had such a supporter as him.
Good News for Mac OS X!
We'll see Mac OS X market share continue to climb. iPod and iPhone/touch sales will further bolster Mac sales, too. By the time Windows 7 is released... 2011 or 2012?... we'll all be running 10.7.9 on our Macs and licking our chops over the prospect of 10.8.
Apple will not release a version to run on generic PCs.
Tight integration of the hardware and the OS is what makes a Mac a Mac.
Not only would it bite into Mac hardware sales, but the cost of supporting the zillion and one possible hardware configurations alone would probably negate any profits they might make.
If you want a Mac, BUY a Mac. If you think they're too expensive, there's eBay and craigslist. Macs remain usable FAR longer than your typical DOSBox. My GF uses my 6 year old Titanium PowerBook every day. I know a few people who still use the original 1998 Bondi Blue iMac.
Heh
Talking with the IT manager at the wife's company, they are upgrading to Vista as the latest version of iTunes won't run on Windows 2000.
Sad, huh?