Microsoft initially intended for Windows XP to die when the ball dropped on New Years Eve ’08, but the OS has gotten a reprieve – for now at least. The new cut off date for licenses will be May 20, 2009.
This has to be hard for Microsoft. Generally when Microsoft launched a new OS, the old one is shuffled out of the door by manufacturers. Sure, most PC users will not upgrade older systems until at least one Service Pack, but new computers would always have been loaded with the latest and greatest OS.
That changed when craptastic Vista launched. Thankfully, the operating system has at least reached a point of usability but the fact that some PC makers still offer Windows XP – sometimes at a pricey premium too – shows that the Windows world isn’t too happy about Windows Vista. Windows XP runs so well on a variety of hardware where Vista doesn’t even like some brand new systems. Who knows if this is going to be the last delay of death for the OS. Early versions of Windows 7 are slated for launch in ’09 so maybe Microsoft will keep XP around until 7 can take its place.