Dumping Windows XP is actually a very costly decision

Jun 18, 2013 23:01 GMT  ·  By

Michigan is one of the states that got Microsoft’s message to dump Windows XP, so it will soon begin a transition whose price is estimated at $6.2 million (€4.6 million).

Even though the tech giant has already launched Windows 8, and is now getting ready to debut Windows 8.1, the state of Michigan will actually make the switch to Windows 7, local officials said.

“When Microsoft quits supporting software, that’s when we start saying: ‘It’s really time to start moving on,’” Kurt Weiss, spokesman for the Department of Technology, Management & Budget, was quoted as saying by Lansing State Journal.

“It’s pretty normal [not to be running the latest OS]. You don’t want to be on the cutting edge. You want to be a step behind because then you avoid some of the pitfalls that come with new systems,” he added.

All of the 55,000 desktop computers and laptops used by state employees will thus be upgraded to Windows 7, with an average cost of $113 (€85) per machine, the source notes.

This could only be good news for the Redmond-based software maker Microsoft, as the company still struggles to convince users that staying with Windows XP is not a smart decision.

Microsoft uses every single occasion to outline the security risk of keeping Windows XP after April 8, 2014, explaining that hackers would most likely try to break into an unpatched system much more.

“We recommend that customers running computers with Windows XP take action and update or upgrade their PCs before the end-of-support date. If Windows XP is still being run in your environment and you feel that migration will not be complete by April 8, 2014, or you haven't begun migration yet, Microsoft is eager to help,” Microsoft explained in an advisory rolled out a few months ago.