The company says that users are exposed to many risks if they don’t upgrade

Mar 4, 2014 16:27 GMT  ·  By

The Windows XP end of support is quite a hot topic these days, especially as software giant Microsoft continues efforts to move users to a newer platform, but only a few actually seem to be getting the right message.

This time, a company official in New Zealand said that the number of users still running Windows XP these days is alarming to say the least, and urged everyone on the platform to upgrade as soon as possible.

Frazer Scott, director of marketing & operations at Microsoft New Zealand, was quoted as saying by Techday that Windows XP is quickly becoming a dangerous operating system, as cybercriminals will attempt to exploit all found vulnerabilities after April 8.

“The number of computers still running Windows XP in businesses and homes around the country is alarming, as the risks of contracting harmful viruses and spyware is very real,” Scott explained.

“Windows XP was launched in 2001 and is now four generations behind Microsoft’s most modern operating system. XP has been supported by Microsoft for over 12 years, longer than any other Windows version, but the time has come to move on.”

According to Microsoft statistics, Windows XP is still powering 300,000 PCs in New Zealand, so the company clearly needs to convince more users to upgrade as soon as possible. Of course, there’s clearly not enough time to complete the transition to a newer Windows version, so the only thing that Microsoft can do right now is damage control.