According to Microsoft CEO, Steve Ballmer, "XP will hit an end-of-life. We have announced one. If customer feedback varies we can always wake up smarter but right now we have a plan for end-of-life for new XP shipments," The good news is that it's not an emphatic "no" which holds some promise for XP holdouts. This Globe and Mail article attributes Ballmer to saying that most retailers sold computers with Vista, the latest version of its Windows operating system, and most consumers were choosing to buy Vista. This may be true, but I wonder how many of these retailers are offering "free downgrades" similar to the offer that I viewed in a Staples flyer yesterday? See this link. It would stand to reason that if suppliers are offering such assistance then there must be demand for the OS, does it not?
