Hi there
Of COURSE a company like MS will want to push its latest OS -- but whether IE9 is supported or not on XP is in any case a moot point of which only the most geekish would even care about.

The main thing in deciding whether or not to change browsers (assuming the basic attributes of passable security etc) won't be in MS's hands at all but will be decided by two factors

1) Roll out of IPV6

2) rendering of websites.

Both these are TOTALLY outside MS's control and even with the roll out of IPV6 IPV4 will still be supported for many many years yet.

As to SSD's etc -- most MODERN high end computers (or even low end one's now) have BLISTERING performance compared with the machines XP was originally designed to run on -- and provided you can find SATA drivers etc (still easily enough done) for XP it will perfgorm very fast indeed on a new computer. The performance "penalty" you incur by using XP is more imagined than real.

SSD's are still extremely expensive and unless you are interested (and can afford) them most "Mom and Pop" situations won't be using these for YEARS yet -- if ever.

Blu Ray is another area -- most people do not sit in front of their computers to watch movies -- that's what decent LCD / Plasma TV's and DVD players are for.

A sitting room is a place to RELAX -- not be cluttered with loads of computing gear -- and in any case Blu Ray DVD's are excruciatingly disappointing compared to a decent DVD upscaler - especially when considering the price and play back restrictions these devices have.

Aany decent up rezzing DVD player which upscales to full 1080p can make a conventional DVD appear almost as good as a Blu Ray one and without the irksome playback restrictions either.

I LIKE W7 and new technology -- but XP isn't the lumbering old Dinosaur that people seem to think it is -- it's going to be around for a long time yet.

Cheers
jimbo