Davey Winder
Tuesday, 01 July 2008 19:01
IT Industry -
Strategy
Page 1 of 2
According to Microsoft, Windows XP died on June 30th when it stopped sending it to the likes of Dell and HP, as well as ceasing shrink-wrapped distribution. According to Dell, new buyers can have a Windows Vista Bonus: a machine with a copy of Windows XP pre-installed instead...
In what has to go down as one of the most bizarre bits of sales and
marketing involving the Microsoft Windows OS in recent years, Dell has
announced the availability of a special offer for those business
customers who are not quite ready to say goodbye to XP just yet.
Microsoft has been quite clear that June 30th
was the official 'end of sales' as far as Windows XP is concerned. It
does
admit,
however, that "Windows XP isn't going to disappear overnight. You may
still see copies of the software or computers pre-loaded with it for
months as stores and PC makers work through their inventory."
Dell, meanwhile, has a slightly different take on the whole XP is dead
business. Indeed, according to an official Dell Channel Blog posting
entitled '
XP, down for the count?'
XP is far from dead.
XP has certainly had a good run, better than most Operating Systems
considering it has been shipping since 2001 to date. Dell seems to
think that it still has plenty of life in it yet, no matter what
Microsoft is saying.
"Is there an option for those business users who aren’t quite ready to
say goodbye to XP?" asks Dell Channel Liaison, Michael Bukowski. He
quickly answers his own question with a yes. Well, two actually.
The first is that for channel customers using the
Custom Factory
Integration
process, XP remains available as an image to roll out on new systems.
The second option is far more intriguing: the Windows Vista Bonus that
comes with a sting in the tail. Read on to find out what it is...
CONTINUED
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