Microsoft is extending the availability ofWindows XPby an additional five
months until 30 June, to give firms more time to prepare
forWindows
Vista.
Windows XP, which was expected to disappear from the shelves of
stores and on new laptops next January, will now be available to
original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) and retail channels until
the end of June, said Redmond.
In addition, the company will continue to offer Windows XP
Starter Edition in emerging markets where it is currently available
for the rapidly growing class of hardware-constrained
ultra-low-cost PCs until 30 June 2010.
Mike Nash, corporate vice-president for Windows Product
Management, said, "While we have been pleased with the positive
response we have seen and heard from customers using Windows Vista,
there are some customers who need a little more time to make the
switch to Windows Vista."
He said, "As a practical matter, most of our previous operating
system releases were available for about two years after the new
version shipped, so maybe we were a little ambitious to think that
we would need to make Windows XP available for only a year after
the release of Windows Vista."
Nash said, "We are responding to feedback we have gotten from
our OEM partners that some customers will benefit by extending
availability of Windows XP to 30 June 2008 instead of the planned
date of 30 January.
"Also, since some of the systems that ship in emerging markets
do not meet the requirements for Windows Vista, we will be
extending availability of Windows XP Starter Edition to 30 2010.
This will allow our OEM partners who sell PCs in emerging markets
more opportunity to offer genuine Windows licences."
Windows XP Starter Edition is tailored to local markets, in
local languages, and is compatible with a wide range of
Windows-based applications and devices.