Computer shoppers looking to purchase a Dell PC running the older Windows XP operating system will have to act quickly. Yesterday, Dell announced plans to discontinue the sale of new computers with Windows XP.
Contributed by wubayou Rating: / 1 September 08, 2010
The announcement was made in response to an October 22nd deadline set by Microsoft, where the software giant will stop allowing computer manufacturers the option of selling what are referred to as "factory downgraded units." A factory downgraded computer is essentially one that is intended for use with the newest Windows 7 operating system, but can be configured to come with Windows XP instead.
Although Dell does have until the official October 22nd deadline to offer the XP option to its customers, the company decided to halt the option beginning later this month. The rather quick decision was made so that Dell could ensure that all customers who order XP computers will receive them by October 22nd.
Despite the termination of the XP option for new purchases, Dell still plans to offer its XP customers driver support for the operating system all the way through December 2012. Although the XP option is set to expire soon for most, Dell will still offer certain qualified volume licensing customers the option to purchase computers downgraded to XP via the company's Custom Factory Integration Service past October 22nd.
Dell is not the only company aiming to appease customers, as Microsoft is doing the same. The company initially stated that it would allow customers with new computers running Windows 7 Professional or Windows 7 Ultimate the option to downgrade to Windows XP either for a time period up to 18 months after the release of Windows 7, or whenever Windows 7 Service Pack 1 shipped.
To give businesses and others more time to transition away from XP, however, Microsoft announced that they would extend the window to downgrade to XP throughout the entire life cycle of Windows 7. This move allows for more uniformity in the business environment, especially if one had many computers with different end-user rights.
Despite the fact that in 2008 most manufacturers stopped selling computers pre-installed with Windows XP, the older operating system still runs strong. Even with the releases of Windows Vista and the newest Microsoft OS, Windows 7, XP currently holds a dominant operating system market share.
According to an August 2010 report by Net Applications NetMarketShare, Windows XP runs on nearly 61 percent of computers. Coming in a distant second place is Windows 7, with a market share of approximately 16 percent. Windows Vista is third, at 14 percent.
Those numbers may be surprising to some, especially considering the age of Windows XP. As Microsoft, manufacturers like Dell, and consumers make the transition away from XP, those numbers will shift towards the Windows 7 environment.
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