Thursday, April 24,2008 @ 9:25am
Microsoft: no demand to keep XP past June
Microsoft would be willing to keep Windows XP available for everyday computers past its June 30th cutoff date but doesn't see a demand for it, company CEO Steve Ballmer said at a Belgian media conference today. The executive acknowledges that enough feedback would have his company extend XP's on-sale period, but argues that "most consumers" are choosing to buy PCs with the newer Windows Vista operating system installed and that few retailers stock computers preloaded with its 2001 ancestor.
Those most likely to demand XP are businesses, as many are more cautious to upgrade and need to ensure that new systems can interoperate well with "old machines," according to Ballmer.
The claims come despite Microsoft's late decision to extend XP sales past mid-year for increasingly popular low-cost systems such as the ASUS Eee PC, which lack the performance to run Vista smoothly. Petitions have also circulated online calling for a more general extension, while Dell has allegedly said it will continue selling XP as an option until 2012 despite Microsoft virtually all support by 2010.