On April 8th, 2014, Microsoft will officially cut off support for Windows XP, over 12 years since it officially launched. Despite its age, the OS is still used by a ton of people around the world. The latest figures from Net Applications shows that Windows XP is currently installed on over 37 percent of all PCs worldwide.
Microsoft has been warning about the support cut off date for Windows XP for well over a year. During a session held at Microsoft's Worldwide Partners Conference this week, ZDNet reports that Erwin Visser, the General Manager of Windows Commercial, stated that Microsoft is making the push to get businesses to stop using Windows XP a priority before April 8th.
Needless to say, this will be a pretty major task. Visser stated that to beat the deadline, 586,000 Windows XP PCs will need to be upgraded to at least Windows 7 per day. In reality, Microsoft's goal is to get the market share for Windows XP below 10 percent before April 8th arrives.
Microsoft is offering a variety of programs to help businsses update to either Windows 7 or 8. It's also working with other PC OEMs to reach its goal. One of them is HP, which has launched a program that includes an offer for HP ElitePad notebooks at special prices for businesses that make the move to ditch Windows XP for Windows 8.
