Windows XP is running out of time with Microsoft announcing security support for the OS will stop in under 1,000 days. Although XP dominates Windows market share, Microsoft is encouraging people to move onto it modern counterpart, Windows 7.
Microsoft’s IT community manager Stephen Rose noted the 1,000 days of support life left in a post on the Microsoft blog. He also mentioned the security risks consumers and businesses will be prone to if they stick with the to-be-unsupported operating system.
“On April 8, 2014, security patches and hotfixes for all versions of Windows XP will no longer be available. So bottom line, PC’s running Windows XP will be vulnerable to security threats” Rose said.
Statistics and research firm surveys indicate that encouraging customers to move from the beloved XP OS to Microsoft’s new Windows 7 is going to be tough.
Web metrics Net Applications measure XP’s market share at 51 per cent, with Windows 7’s usage at a much lower 21 per cent. Based on current trends, Windows 7 usage won’t overtake that of XP until Q2 of 2012, according to Computerworld estimates.
Businesses are even more dependent on XP with Forrester Research estimating 60 per cent of enterprise are dependent on the obsolete OS.
Despite its grim fate, Windows XP is being recognised as one of Microsoft’s success as it has outlasted its expected lifecycle.
