Channel gets more time to buy XP
Scott Bicheno - 22 Dec 08, 2:04pm
Delaying the inevitable
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Back in June, Microsoft decided that it was going to keep the Windows XP market alive for the channel - as opposed to big OEMs - only. Of course you can still get XP from OEMs, but via the rather counter-intuitive "downgrade" system.
So this created a niche for the channel to service the sizable community of customers, especially SMBs, who didn't trust Vista and wanted to stick with what they knew. However, the window (no pun intended) of opportunity was only open until the end of January 2009, after which Microsoft would stop flogging it altogether.
Now, for reasons yet to be defined by Microsoft, it appears that distributors can get their XP orders in by 31st January, but don't have to take delivery or pay for the products until 30th May 2009.
So far there has been no direct communication from Microsoft to the channel on this matter. One indie retailer told HEXUS.channel: "I'm signed up to almost every email you can think of with Microsoft and nothing was mentioned in any of them." However, some reports are claiming to have received an email from Microsoft confirming this move.
It's not surprising that Microsoft would want to keep this relatively quiet as every extra bit of life Microsoft gives XP is, quite reasonably, interpreted as an admission of failure with Vista.
Many businesses are opting to sit tight and not upgrade their XP systems until the new Windows 7 operating system becomes available, which may be as early as the middle of next year. Presumably they're doing so on the assumption that 7 will be better than Vista...
UPDATE - 09:30 23rd December 2008: We received the following statement from Microsoft confirming our story.
"Microsoft is making accommodation through a flexible inventory program that will allow distributors to place their final orders by January 31, 2009; and take delivery against those orders through May 30, 2009. This is not an extension of sales."
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HEXUS.community :: your right2reply
But this is a farce. Either your new OS (which is no longer anywhere near NEW anymore) is the dogs danglers, and you kill the old one,....or it's not good/not popular/not up to the job and you admit it.Quote
I quite like Microsoft, because, frankly without them, I'd not be into computing.
But this is a farce. Either your new OS (which is no longer anywhere near NEW anymore) is the dogs danglers, and you kill the old one,....or it's not good/not popular/not up to the job and you admit it.
But the problem isn't the operating system, it is the perceived quality of your everyday Joe thats causing them grief.
I find vista a much tidier OS than XP, not just graphically, but some functions are much better, such as networking.
M$ keep having to extend dates because people refuse to try it and if they do try it, then they think of all the rigmaroll of 'it doesn't work, it's broken', the 'mojave experiment' showed that...
M$ have to work on changing peoples perceptions before trying a product, rather than keep offering OEMs liscences of a haggered old OS for newer PCs, i'll admit, vista is a bit of a hardware junkie, but that doesn't mean that it cannot be used on lower end machines, it just means less features should be used if possible, (and the less features and lower usage requirements =XP), so they are better off keeping XP going along side Vista and having the respected old timer and the Professor Frink n00b.
okay... so i have changed my mind about the need for XP now :PQuote
The Vista security model sort of has that, but Vista is really just XP with a new UI, new security model, new network stack, and a bunch of other things... it's new bits, tacked onto an old core.
One of the other problems MS has is that its strategy for getting the job done focuses on functionality over efficiency - as long as it does what is asked of it, how it does it isn't that big a deal.
The reason MS might be reluctant to "do an Apple" is quite clear: it has a significantly larger user base than Apple. The momentum from the already developed software is enormous - trying to push against that is nearly impossible.
But let's think back 6 or so years and work out what made XP so great. Back then, the savvy had two choices. We could either use Windows ME - the biggest disaster since Microsoft Bob - or Windows 2000, which was a business-oriented OS not meant for home use.
And so the wise switched to Win2k, and people realised that 9x based OSes were rubbish; they wanted some of the same juice the business folks were getting. The same quality. The same stability.
I think Microsoft could do to develop something completely new. Something aimed at businesses - special ones, big ones - that ignores regular consumers. Basically, create a new NT. If it works, then people down the food chain will want in on it. The caveats will be "all your hardware will break" or "all your software will break" or "everything will work, but old stuff will run through an emulation layer REALLY SLOWLY". And everyone will say "oh, that's OK, just give me the good stuff!"
I think it's the only way MS can do something truly innovative, without being torn up by the momentum built up by its previous creations.Quote
Of course MS can't do a MAC-OS, as they have no control over the hardware base the OP exists on. Apple are notorious for this control. Hence their ability to produce items such as the iphone with a slick interface. Compare this to third party phones ( even, dare I say Crackberry) and notice the less fluid user experience. Whcih, as you mention, brings us to functionality over efficiency. MS trys to be all things to all men and suffers as a consequence. Their previous market dominance my just be thier undoing if they do not revisit the business model. - XP underlines this. I am happy with XP ( and frankly so is my ageing system) I have no *need* for Vista on this particular system. So why should I upgrade to improve their profits?
After all, ... "if it ain't brike, dont fix it"...... well, almost ;-))Quote
My favourite operating system along with 2000 Pro.
People say Vista has better networking.. Well, I never had problems on XP, still get them with Vista.Quote
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