Microsoft didn't exactly chime the death knell for Windows XP, but it did etch an expiration date onto the popular software's tombstone this week. By Spring 2014 the aged platform will see support dry up as the company shifts completely to Windows 7 and plots future iterations.
"As of today, customers have 1,000 days until support for Windows XP ends," wrote Erwin Visser, the Windows Commercial Marketing Team's Senior Director, at the Windows Blog on Monday. "Windows XP served us well, but in the 10 years since it launched, the world has changed. It’s time to retire Windows XP and move to Windows 7 to take advantage of the last decade of innovation in areas such as security, performance and more natural, intuitive interface."
Visser, who announced the impending changes during Microsoft's annual Worldwide Partner Conference in Los Angeles, said that helping customers make the leap from XP to Windows 7 was "necessary."
Microsoft, which launched Internet Explorer 9 earlier this year, touted that 400 million Windows 7 licenses have been sold since its release in 2009 - lending credence to its decision to end support for the decade-old XP. Of course, there's still a big difference between that admittedly huge number and the installed XP base. Visser promises Microsoft will do all it can to help stubborn users make the transition.
"One way users can stay updated on the latest version of Windows is through Windows Intune, our cloud-based PC management and security service that includes the benefit of upgrade rights to Windows 7 Enterprise as well as future versions of Windows," he said, adding that the company is now accepting beta applications for the next model of Intune set for release "later this year."
As for the upcoming Windows 8, PCMag quoted Steve Balmer, Microsoft CEO, as calling it "a true re-imagining" for the platform. Some believe an official release date reveal for Windows 8 is right around the corner and that it could be up and running on PCs by the end of the year.
Will you be installing Windows 7 soon, or riding XP into the 2014 sunset? Let us know in the comment section.
