Microsoft urges everyone to dump Windows XP, but users don’t seem to get the message

Apr 8, 2013 11:36 GMT  ·  By

Windows XP will go dark in less than 12 months, so Microsoft urges everyone to dump the 11-year-old operating system and get a newer version, preferably Windows 8, which would keep their data on the safe side.

While users don’t seem too eager to abandon XP, analysts believe that Windows 8’s disappointing start is not the only reason behind this lack of interest for Microsoft’s new platforms.

The economic recession is also a decisive factor, as many businesses aren’t willing to invest in moving to a newer operating system if the one they’re currently using isn’t broken.

“In these tough economic times, it is not surprising that business leaders do not want to invest a substantial amount of money in something that essentially isn’t broken, as is the case with Windows XP today,” Adrian Foxall, chief executive of Camwood, was quoted as saying by the Financial Times.

A report released by UK consultancy firm Camwood indicates that only 42 percent of the British businesses have started the migration to newer software, but only half of them said the process might be completed by April 2014.

What’s more, 16 percent of the IT managers admitted that the lack of a budget to install a new version of Windows delays their transition from Windows XP, which is another sign that Microsoft’s April 8, 2014 deadline might come a bit too soon for many businesses.

According to figures provided by market researcher Net Applications, Windows XP is currently installed on more than 38 percent of computers worldwide, while Windows 7 still tops the market with nearly 45 percent.

Windows 8, on the other hand, Microsoft’s latest bet in the OS market, still fails to excite, with a market share that barely jumped over the 3 percent threshold in March, even though its official launch took place in October 2012.