Windows XP Home Survives another Two Years

[Kalyan]

Windows XP Home Survives another Two Years

Windows XP Home will be available for ultra-low-cost PCs, especially laptops marketed in developing markets, for another two years, Microsoft announced Thursday. Michael Dix, General Manager of Windows Client Product Management, pointed out that the decision was taken because ultra-low-cost PCs, also called ULPCs, are unable to run Microsoft's latest operating system Windows Vista.

Their flimsy hardware requires a suited operating system which uses less resources. This is the case with Windows XP Home Edition Service Pack 2. Compared to the Professional version, which is Vista's biggest rival, the Home Edition lacks several crucial enterprise features which effectively limit its usability in network environments (such as in an educational institution).

"Customers and partners have made it clear to us that Windows is the preferred operating system for ULCPC buyers, just as it is for mainstream PC users," said Dix.

"That's why we are extending direct OEM sales of Windows XP Home for ULCPCs so that they [can] preinstall Windows on these devices (...) While Windows Vista provides many benefits, including an easier and more secure user experience, Windows XP Home provides an effective solution on these devices from a performance and cost perspective," Michael Dix alleges.

Low-cost PCs are a class of devices with limited hardware capabilities, smaller screen sizes, low-power processors, initially created for emerging markets. However, ULCPC developers have started a new market strategy that aims at bringing such affordable devices to developed countries as well.

Devices which will use the XP Home operating system include the Asus Eee PC, Intel Classmate PC, and the OLPC. However, Microsoft is not altering its technical support strategy for XP, with free live support and warranty support ending next April, and paid-for customer support coming to an end in 2014.

source : eFlux