Microsoft was founded on a commitment to innovate and to provide our customers with the best software. That's part of our corporate DNA, and occasionally it means tough decisions.
We don't make them lightly.
The lifespan of every Microsoft product is carefully mapped from launch to retirement. Windows XP is no exception. We do this to ensure you always get the most out of your PC experience. (Read about Windows lifecycle policy.)
We've spent more than a year consulting with our customers and industry partners to ensure that we're doing the right thing. We understand that not everyone may agree with our decision—just as not everyone was happy to see Windows 95, Windows 98, or Windows ME retire (OK, perhaps not ME).
But we think the time is right.
We also want to underscore that we're not, as some people have asserted, "pulling the plug" on our popular operating system. Let us be clear: Although Windows XP won't be sold in stores, Microsoft and its partners will continue to offer technical support for Windows XP for months and years to come. In fact, Microsoft plans to support Windows XP until 2014.
We're proud of Windows XP, a product that has empowered and entertained hundreds of millions of people in the last eight years. But technology doesn't stand still. And neither can we.
:::What'll happen to Windows XP after June 30? I'm confused.:::
In industry speak, this is called "end-of-sales." On June 30, Microsoft will stop distributing Windows XP as a stand-alone product that you can buy shrink-wrapped in the store. We'll also stop sending it to Dell, HP, Lenovo and all the other major PC manufacturers to sell on their PCs.
That said, Windows XP isn't going to disappear overnight.
You may still see copies of the software—or computers pre-loaded with it—for months, as stores and PC makers work through their inventory. Also, smaller local PC makers—known in the industry as "system builders"—can continue to sell PCs with Windows XP until January 2009.
Finally, Microsoft recently announced that computers with limited hardware capabilities—devices sometimes called Netbooks or ultra-low cost PCs (ULCPC)—can carry Windows XP Home until June 2010.
more info
http://www.microsoft.com/windows/products/windowsxp/future.mspx
We don't make them lightly.
The lifespan of every Microsoft product is carefully mapped from launch to retirement. Windows XP is no exception. We do this to ensure you always get the most out of your PC experience. (Read about Windows lifecycle policy.)
We've spent more than a year consulting with our customers and industry partners to ensure that we're doing the right thing. We understand that not everyone may agree with our decision—just as not everyone was happy to see Windows 95, Windows 98, or Windows ME retire (OK, perhaps not ME).
But we think the time is right.
We also want to underscore that we're not, as some people have asserted, "pulling the plug" on our popular operating system. Let us be clear: Although Windows XP won't be sold in stores, Microsoft and its partners will continue to offer technical support for Windows XP for months and years to come. In fact, Microsoft plans to support Windows XP until 2014.
We're proud of Windows XP, a product that has empowered and entertained hundreds of millions of people in the last eight years. But technology doesn't stand still. And neither can we.
:::What'll happen to Windows XP after June 30? I'm confused.:::
In industry speak, this is called "end-of-sales." On June 30, Microsoft will stop distributing Windows XP as a stand-alone product that you can buy shrink-wrapped in the store. We'll also stop sending it to Dell, HP, Lenovo and all the other major PC manufacturers to sell on their PCs.
That said, Windows XP isn't going to disappear overnight.
You may still see copies of the software—or computers pre-loaded with it—for months, as stores and PC makers work through their inventory. Also, smaller local PC makers—known in the industry as "system builders"—can continue to sell PCs with Windows XP until January 2009.
Finally, Microsoft recently announced that computers with limited hardware capabilities—devices sometimes called Netbooks or ultra-low cost PCs (ULCPC)—can carry Windows XP Home until June 2010.
more info
http://www.microsoft.com/windows/products/windowsxp/future.mspx
very sad.... hear da end of XP
