How much longer will Windows XP be used?
I just read that Windows 7 just passed XP as the most used Window OS. As we get ready for Windows 8, I have to wonder how much longer can people and companies keep using XP? I mean, it is an OS that has been around for a decade, and it is still the OS used by almost 42% of computers that were online last month. That is just amazing. Will Windows 7 and 8 finally put XP out to pasture, or are we going to continue to see significant use of XP for some time to come?
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Yeah, XP is ancient at this point. I'm not so sure that Windows 8 will be the final nail its coffin, however. The interface/metro stuff in Windows 8 is quite controversial and has brought a lot of negative feedback with it.
I suspect that many people will just move to Windows 7, if they haven't already. Or perhaps some will sit tight with XP, or even move to Linux or OS X.
It would be ironic if Windows 8 actually made many XP users decide to hang onto that old OS for a while longer. It would be the total opposite of what Microsoft intended.
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Windows 7 finally got some enterprise users to migrate to it from XP because it offered improved security and functionality. Key word = some. It remains to be seen how Windows 8 will be received. Basically the thinking I've ran into is that XP will do what we need, so there is no reason to spend the time and money to upgrade it. So as long as they stick with a version of Word/Excel/PowerPoint that works on XP, they can get away with it. Few people outside of IT give any thought to the vulnerabilities of XP.
I doubt Windows 8 is going to create a mass exodus away from XP. What will finally do it will be when Microsoft discontinues extended support for XP on April 8, 2014. After that date there will be no more security patches or hotfixes. Even a company with lax security practices can't justify continuing to use an OS that will officially be vulnerable to security threats like XP will at that point. If I was a betting man, though, until 2014 arrives I would wager that XP will still be in use on 20-25% of machines.