Ads by TechWords

See your link here
Receive the latest technology news and information.
Computerworld Daily News (First Look and Wrap-Up)
Computerworld Blogs Newsletter
The Weekly Top 10
Cloud Computing
View all newsletters




Privacy Policy
 

Microsoft turnabout on XP follows user demands

And if customers and partners continue to press, it will capitulate again, says analyst

June 3, 2008 12:00 PM ET

Active Comments
Anonymous says: I view this long series of Vista/XP turn-turn-turnabouts as Microsoft operating in a highly self-destructive mode. Tentatively squeezing off rounds...
Larry says: that MacroSlug listened to customers. I'm tired of bloated buggy new systems replacing buggy, bloated older systems that at least...


Computerworld - Microsoft Corp.'s decision today to allow low-cost desktop makers to install Windows XP Home on their hardware until June 2010 reverses a move it rejected just two months ago.

At the Computex trade show that opened today in Taipei, the company said it would allow computer manufacturers to pre-install Windows XP Home on what it called "net-tops" -- which it defined only as "low-cost desktops" -- through June 30, 2010.

Today's decision follows an early-April change in XP Home availability, when Microsoft postponed the retirement of the seven-year-old operating system by telling OEMs they could slap it on small and lightweight notebooks -- dubbed ULCPCs, for ultra-low-cost PCs -- until the end of June 2010.

Have your say: Can people power ultimately save Windows XP?

At the time of that announcement, however, Microsoft was adamant that it wouldn't consider making the same deal on low-cost desktops. In an interview with Computerworld, Kevin Kutz, Windows client director at Microsoft, said that low-cost desktops would not be eligible for the extension.

Today, a Microsoft spokeswoman explained the 180-degree turn as originating with customers and hardware partners.

"One thing Microsoft has heard loud and clear, from both customers and partners, is the desire for Windows on this new class of devices," the spokeswoman said in an e-mail. "It is important to Microsoft that they meet the needs of their partners and customers, and this is why the Windows XP Home offering is being extended to include net top devices."

That explanation seems to fit the requirements spelled out by Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer in late April when he was asked if the company would push back the general retirement of XP from its current date of June 30, 2008. Speaking to reporters in Belgium, Ballmer said, "If customer feedback varies, we can always wake up smarter." Later, however, Microsoft said that Ballmer's comments did not indicate a shift in strategy.

One analyst today said that Microsoft's explanation made sense. "Customers and OEMS told them they needed to do this," said Michael Gartenberg, an analyst at JupiterResearch LLC and a Computerworld columnist.

Related Blog:

Stephen J. Vaughan-Nichols: XP lives! Sort of.

Congratulations Linux. Yesterday was the day you made Microsoft blink. [read more]

But Gartenberg also said that it was more than just feedback that forced Microsoft to make the move. "For certain classes of hardware, Windows XP is actually the best fit," he said. The lower-cost components required by low-cost notebooks and low-cost desktops -- primarily their underpowered processors -- preclude using Microsoft's newer operating system, Windows Vista. "These lower-powered processors are not suitable for Vista, not now, not ever," Gartenberg argued.

Microsoft has not defined either category -- low-c



Jump to comments

Microsoft

Additional Resources

EFD vs. HDD - What You Need to Know
WHITE PAPER
Enterprise flash drives provide a new Tier 0 storage layer capable of delivering high I/O performance at a very low latency. Proper use of EFDs in an Oracle environment can deliver increased performance compared to fibre channel drives. Read the recommendations for identification of the best DB components for EFDs.
Gartner Research Report: Magic Quadrant for Application Delivery Controllers, 2009
WHITE PAPER
The market for products to improve the delivery of application software over networks remains dynamic and innovative. Vendors focused on solving enterprises' most-pressing application problems have become the top players.
Eight Criteria for Server Load Balancing
WHITE PAPER
Server load balancers are a simple yet highly effective means to scale an application environment while ensuring its availability. Today's solutions should also address application performance and security. Read about the top eight criteria you should consider when choosing a server load balancer and how Citrix NetScaler meets those requirements.

What People Are Saying

White Papers & Webcasts

High Performance for Integrating Massive Data Volumes
Processing very large data sets provides unique constraints, especially when time windows available for this processing are shrinking. This Technical White Paper presents...  

Gartner Podcast: Driving SharePoint Adoption in Lotus Notes Shops
Learn how can you drive mainstream user adoption of Microsoft SharePoint when your users are committed to using email.

IDC Webcast: Linux Adoption in a Global Recession
Access this webcast, compliments of Novell and HP, for a limited time only!

Whitepaper: Drive SharePoint Adoption in Lotus Notes Shops
Learn how you can drive your users to Microsoft SharePoint when they rely on IBM Lotus Notes.  


IT Jobs