With every passing day Windows XP moves closer to retirement. Microsoft will no long release patches and security updates for the gaining operating system after April 8, 2014.
And the classic platform is fast becoming a focus of attention for not just Microsoft but other technology companies as well. No surprises here, considering Windows XP is currently installed on around 30 percent of the computers worldwide, according to Net Applications data.
But the business market is where the 11-year-old operating system is still a very popular choice.
How popular, you may ask? Well Tech Data UK has some figures in this regard. Gemma Horsell, Microsoft business manager at the company, in a recent interview revealed that there are signs that every third business PCs is still running Windows XP.
Here is what she had to say:
“When users step up to more current version of Windows and Office, it will also be the ideal time to upgrade their hardware. It’s thought that as many as one third of business PCs could still be running Windows XP, so the potential for upgrade business could be very big indeed.”
Figures this high make Microsoft’s mission to convince users to switch to upgrade to a modern operating system like Windows 8.1 all that more difficult.
Still more and more users are expected to make the jump to a newer version of Windows as we get closer to the official retirement date. It promises to be quite a ride, this much is increasingly certain.
Please have a transition plan people.