The company will retire the operating system next year

Aug 8, 2013 23:31 GMT  ·  By

Windows XP is still running on 37 percent of computers worldwide and that’s a bit worrying given the fact that Microsoft hopes to move all users to either Windows 7 or Windows 8 before April 2013.

Now the company claims that Windows XP has become a relic, so consumers must understand the risks of using such an old platform before it’s too late.

"Technology moves rapidly, and if we compare Windows XP to a 12-year-old mobile phone or digital camera then it puts it into stark context - these are considered relics. Security and privacy of data is the biggest risk once support for XP ends, and the only way businesses and consumers can protect themselves to upgrade,” Microsoft New Zealand's Business Group Manager, Dean Edwards, was quoted as saying by Stuff.

Some, on the other hand, have already started the transition from Windows XP to a newer platform, but it proves to be a very costly process. And still, Microsoft hopes that only 10 percent of the users would stick to XP after the April 2014 retirement date.