PC makers find ways to extend XP's life
Published: 28 Apr 2008 14:04 BST
Computer makers appear to have found a way to get around Microsoft's deadline for selling PCs with Windows XP as the operating system.
Taking advantage of the "downgrade rights" offered as part of the Windows Vista licence agreement, HP and Dell both plan to offer machines loaded with XP well beyond the 30 June deadline, imposed by Microsoft in a bid to get manufacturers and retailers to focus on XP's successor, Vista.
Technically, the computers will be Vista Business or Vista Ultimate machines that have been factory downgraded to XP at the customer's request. In practice, they are more like XP machines that come with an already paid-for upgrade to Vista when and if the customer chooses to do so.
HP said it plans to continue selling the "pre-downgraded" desktops, notebooks and workstations to its business customers until 30 July, 2009. Dell is already pitching the same option on its website and promising the models will stick around long after it stops taking standard XP orders on 18 June.
Other computer makers have told ZDNet.co.uk's sister site, CNET News.com, that they are still exploring what to do, but that they also want to sell XP beyond 30 June.
There are limits to the approach being taken by HP and Dell, as only the Business and Ultimate flavours of Vista come with downgrade rights, meaning consumer machines can't be sold in a similar fashion.
Kevin Kutz, a director in Microsoft's Windows unit, said the downgrade-rights option meets customer needs. "While [computer makers] continue to see large numbers of customers making the transition to Windows Vista, there are some pockets — like small business — that need a little more time," he said in a statement to CNET News.com. "And from what we've heard from our partners, the downgrade rights option fulfils that need."
The pre-downgraded PC option is just the latest way PC makers have responded to stronger-than-expected demand. After shifting largely to Vista after its January 2007 mainstream launch, Dell and others quickly began adding more XP options in response to customer requests.
For some time now, computer makers have been selling machines with an XP recovery disc as a downgrade option. Lenovo, for example, reportedly plans to keep offering an XP recovery disc with some Vista models through January 2009. The difference with the machines HP and Dell will sell beyond 30 June is that they will have Vista rights but contain XP pre-installed.
As for whether a broader reprieve might yet come for XP, Microsoft chief executive Steve Ballmer has left the door open a crack. "XP will hit an end-of-life," Ballmer said recently. "We have announced one. If customer feedback varies, we can always wake up smarter, but right now, we have a plan for end-of-life for new XP shipments."
ZDNet.co.uk has asked Microsoft to clarify Ballmer's statement, but had not received a reply at the time of writing.
Credit: PC makers find ways to extend XP's life from CNET News
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