News that Microsoft won't budge on the June 30 cut-off for Windows XP sales isn't all bad - system builders might still be offering the old-faithful till 2009.
UPDATE: We've received confirmation from Microsoft on the XP situation. Here's what a Microsoft spokesperson told us: "General retail sales of Windows XP will end on June 30 of this year, and system builders will be able to sell Windows XP through January 2009 as they cater to the small business markets."
This means it will be possible to buy new PCs with the old OS installed, though you might need to be ordering through a small business supplier.
This means this week's death sentence for XP (which we first reported here) isn't all bad news.
While Microsoft has confirmed retail and OEM sales of XP will end on June 30 this year, it hasn't changed its mind on system builders, who got an extension back in September. "Our plan was and continues to be that our system builder partners will be able to offer Windows XP until Jan. 30, 2009," said Mike Nash, corporate vice president, Windows Product Management, back in September 2007.
By that time though, the big name brands may well have phased out XP entirely. Dell told us recently that only two of their notebooks are currently available with the OS, and they expect to "transition from XP to Vista" in mid-April.
The other big news is that XP will continue to be available for ultra cheap laptops like the EeeePC until June 30 2010. Hopefully, it'll be an option on the ultra-cheap Classmate PC, which will debut in Australia later this year.
Although sales of XP will end this year, "mainstream technical support" will still be offered until April 2009.