Well, all the people i know who uses the computer for music, gaming or even using facebook only for uploading photos! are still using XP.
Hell, i think they don't know about any system past XP
So i think it will last long, REALLY long.
I don't really see any fantastic features in Windows 7 that will cause people to stop using XP. Windows XP is functional, runs almost everything out there, it works with volume license keys so people can pirate like crazy, it's a fairly small install, etc.
Did I mention that I think people use XP because it's easier to pirate than Windows Vista and Windows 7????
xp does work great for many people but as they upgrade their computers they will naturally transition to a newer os. especially with the cost of computers quickly going down it wouldn't surprise me to see more users buying new systems.
I work support for a software co.
Last year when the new software rolled out we had a few calls from users still trying to install on 98. Granted those were probably small business desktops, not networked. You can just imagine the old faded yellow-grey plastic now.
There are alot, tons of business desktops out there on XP, and there will be for years. You can refer to them as holdouts, but in the end if these users, business owners didn't like Vista/7 or felt more secure with their productivity software on XP desktops then they are going to stick to it for as long as they can untill compatability forces them to change. And that's all there is to it.
Some people will not change their OS until their computre physically dies and it becomes too expensive to repair. Then, and only then, they will buy a new PC and it will have the current OS on it.
Companies will transition as budgets allow.
MS has (or will soon?) provide only security patches for XP. New third party software will not be developed for XP.
Like an old soldier, XP will fade away.
There will still be a few collectors who will keep a copy running on a Celeron 500MHz box just for the heck of it.
And we will all talk about the 'good old' days when XP.....
Hey! Remember the good old days when Windows 98 came out and memory expansion cards were $300...
I've recently thought about going back to XP. IMO, it's much faster than Windows 7 on my 2.0 Celeron machine.
XP will last a few more years, unfortunately. People got too attached to this OS and they aren't gonna give it up easily. It's like the ratty old sweater you can't bear to throw out. Comes complete with holes too.
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