Microsoft Extends XP Shelf Life

Customer demand has forced Microsoft to extend the shelf life of Windows XP by five months. Microsoft was scheduled to stop selling the six-year-old operating system on 30 January 2008 to leave the field clear for Vista.

Now the date on which many sellers of XP will no longer be able to offer it has been lengthened to 30 June 2008. Microsoft said the change was to help those customers that needed more time to make the switch to Vista.

BBC - Microsoft bows to pressure on XP

The Redmond, Washington-based company also said Microsoft historically makes its older operating system available to customers for two years after the new one is introduced, but it decided to shorten that period to one year with Vista.

"We were a little ambitious to think that we would need to make Windows XP available for only a year after the release of Windows Vista," said Mike Nash, a Microsoft corporate vice president.

Reuters - Microsoft says to extend XP sales for five months