Microsoft is to extend the availability of its Windows XP operating system, the company announced Friday, according to dpa. Industry analysts said that the move reflected hesitancy by buyers to adopt XP's replacement, Windows Vista, especially in the business community. Under the new policy, Microsoft will make the full version of Windows XP available to PC manufacturers and retailers through June 30, 2008. The firm will continue to offer a basic edition in emerging markets through June 2010. Before the announcement, Microsoft had been due to stop selling XP at the end of January 2008. A survey conducted earlier this year by InformationWeek showed that 30 per cent of businesses had no plans to purchase Windows Vista, because of its high price and system requirements that make it incompatible with older PCs. Some PC makers even offer Windows XP recovery discs so that customers can install the older operating system if they are dissatisfied with Windows Vista. "There are some customers who need a little more time to make the switch," said Mike Nash, Microsoft's Windows product manager, in a statement posted on the company's Web site. He denied that Vista was a failure. Microsoft has sold 60 million copies of the new operating system, and "Windows Vista is on track to be the fastest-selling operating system in Microsoft's history," Nash said.
