14 DAY TRIAL // It’s not a surprise anymore that Windows XP support is coming to an end and Microsoft is doing its best to make sure that everyone is aware of this, so users, companies and authorities across the world hurry up to upgrade their computers to a newer platform.
This is the case of several South Jersey police departments, which according to a new report, will pay more than $70,000 (€50,500) to move to another operating system. This includes the cost of purchasing new computers capable of running the newer software, but also applications to be used on the new systems.
NJ News reports that local authorities have already approved the system upgrades and granted the budget for the entire process, but it’s pretty obvious that this is quite an expensive move that wouldn’t be possible in all companies and organizations across the world.
That’s actually one of the issues that Microsoft has struggled to deal with, with many businesses and consumers pointing to the overall costs of the upgrade as one of the main reasons why they still run Windows XP these days.
The software giant, on the other hand, is working with partners to bring more affordable devices to the market and recent reports are suggesting that Redmond has even cut down the licensing costs for OEMs that agree to launch devices with a price below $250 (€180). This includes low-spec PCs and tablets running Windows 8.1, sources say.
What’s more, Microsoft is working to tackle the Windows XP upgrade costs by tweaking the upcoming Windows versions in such a way that they would be capable of running better on affordable hardware. Windows 8.1 Update 1, for example, which is scheduled to be unveiled to users in early April, will lower system requirements in order to give PC makers the power to install it on more computers and tablets. According to unconfirmed details, Windows 8.1 Update 1 would require only 1GB of RAM memory and 16 GB of space.
As for Windows XP, its 29 percent market share on the desktop is living proof that it won’t die before the April 8 retirement, so Microsoft clearly needs to come up with a plan to keep all users on the safe side, at least until they complete the migration to another operating system.
Starting today, Microsoft is displaying upgrade notifications on all Windows XP machines, just to make sure that everyone is aware of the imminent end of support.