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Microsoft Pushes for Demise of Windows XP

Chloe Albanesius
 & Chloe Albanesius Executive Editor, News

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Those of you still holding on to Windows XP have two years to spend with the now-antiquated OS before Microsoft pulls the support plug.

On April 8, 2014, Microsoft will officially end support for Windows XP and Office 2003, the software giant reminded business users in a blog post this week. "If you still have some PCs running Windows XP and Office 2003 in your organization, now would be a good time to start migrating them to Windows 7 and Office 2010," wrote Microsoft's Stella Chernyak.

Chernyak warned against waiting for the next Windows and Office update. "Not only is it important for companies to complete deployment before support runs out, but they should also be aware that by upgrading to Windows 7 and Office 2010 today they can gain substantial results today while laying the foundation for future versions of these products," she wrote.

Chernyak outlined a number of upgrade options in the blog post, including Windows Intune and Office 365.

"Windows XP and Office 2003 were great software releases for their time, but the technology environment has shifted," she said.

Windows XP made its debut in 2001. According to March data from Net Applications, approximately 46.86 percent of global Windows users are still running XP, with 37.54 percent on Windows 7. That's up slightly from February, when 45.39 percent of users were running XP.

The much-maligned followup to XP, Windows Vista, is currently in use by 7.65 percent of Windows fans, Net Applications said.

This is not the first time that Microsoft has pushed users to abandon one of its older products. In March 2011, Microsoft launched a website dedicated to the demise of its Internet Explorer 6 browser, in an effort to get users to upgrade. As of March, about 6.9 percent of worldwide Internet users were on IE6. IE8 is the most-popular version with 25.4 percent usage, according to Net Applications.

For a trip down memory lane, see PCMag's overview of Windows XP from 2001, as well as our full reviews of Windows Vista and Windows 7. Also check out our Hands On with Windows 8 Consumer Preview and the slideshow below.


 

About Our Expert

Chloe Albanesius

Chloe Albanesius

Executive Editor, News

My Experience

I started out covering tech policy in DC for The National Journal, where my beat included state-level tech news and all the congressional hearings and FCC meetings I could handle. I later covered Wall Street trading tech before switching gears to consumer tech. I now lead PCMag's news coverage.

My Areas of Expertise

Getting my start in DC means I still have a soft spot for tech policy; Congressional hearings can sometimes be as entertaining as a Bravo reality show, for better or worse. But PCMag is all about the technology we use every day, as well as keeping an eye out for the trends that will shape the industry in the years ahead (or flop on arrival). I've covered the rise of social media, the iOS vs. Android wars, the cord-cutting revolution that's now left us with hefty streaming bills, and the effort to stuff artificial intelligence into every product you could imagine. This job has taken me to CES in Vegas (one too many times), IFA in Berlin, and MWC in Barcelona. I also drove a Tesla 1,000 miles out west as part of our Best Mobile Networks project. Of late, my focus is on our hard-working team of reporters at PCMag, guiding and editing their robust coverage.

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