OEMs Given Another Windows XP Lifeline

By Greg McNevin

October 6, 2008: Despite its best efforts to get the world to embrace Vista, Microsoft has again shifted the deadline for Windows XP’s retirement, boosting it by another six months.

The lifeline has been thrown OEM distributors offering downgrade options for customers who do not want Vista, enabling them to keep offering XP until January 31 2009.

This marks the third time Microsoft has extended the final cut off date for the aging operating system, the first of which was June 31, then July 31 2008.

The news came from a leaked email that was sent to an OEM, and illustrates that there is still significant demand for XP in the marketplace.

It also adds even more weight to the idea that most users are inclined to skip Vista altogether and hold out for Microsoft’s upcoming Windows 7, which is expected to be released sometime in the second half of 2009.

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