End of the line for Windows XP

David Flynn | Mar 27, 2008 1:38 PM
Microsoft is rolling down the shutters on Windows XP, although low cost flash-based laptop vendors get a reprieve from being forced onto Vista.
The clock is ticking on Windows XP, as Microsoft pushes OEMs onto Vista and yanks boxed copies of the seven year old OS from retail shelves.

Redmond will cease to offer Windows XP licenses to the major PC manufacturers on June 30, forcing them to shift to Vista-only systems. On the same date, all boxed versions of XP should cease to be available on retail shelves.

Smaller system builders have a six month reprieve “to sell XP through January 2009 as they cater to the small business markets” a Microsoft spokesperson told PCA.

A Dell spokesman confirmed that the company would “transition from XP to Vista” in mid-April. Currently only two Dell systems can be ordered with XP – the Inspiron 1530 notebook and Inspiron 530 desktop – and both of those will become Vista-only “in two weeks”.

One of the last bastions of XP has been the sub-$999 notebook segment where Acer carved out a noticeable lead. But the company has “recently transitioned to Vista-only in retail” said Henry Lee, Acer’s Senior Product Manager for Retail Notebooks. Lee told PCA that while there maye still be some XP systems in the channel, there will be “no further (XP) offerings”.

“Low cost Acer products will still remain and Acer will be moving to 1GB of RAM on these models to boost the performance needed for Vista.”

But Microsoft won’t be sending every OEM on a forced march. Asus’ Eee PC will continue to offer Windows XP for the next few years. Speaking at a Asus press briefing during last month’s CeBIT tech expo in Germany, a Microsoft executive ruled out putting Vista for the Eee PC’s modest hardware spec.

“We couldn’t go the Vista route,” said Thomas Bauer, Microsoft’s general manager for manufacturer relations in Europe. “We are in close discussions with Asus [regarding] how to take that forward . . . in regards to the Windows 7 Europe timeframe.” Microsoft is likely to extend the same courtesy to other mini-notebooks in order, not just in light of their meagre specs but also to keep Linux from nipping at their heels in the low-cost consumer segment.