Dell to cease shipment of Windows XP computers in October

If, for any reason, you want a new computer that comes pre-installed with a Windows XP operating system you had better make your purchase now.

Dell has released an announcement stating that the company will no longer be shipping models with Windows XP pre-installed after October 22^nd 2010. They will also be removing the option for the operating system from their ordering systems this month in anticipation of the change.

The reason for the discontinuation of the popular operating system is not a choice by Dell, but a response to the guidelines set for OEMs (Original Equipment Manufacturers) established by Microsoft earlier this year. Microsoft first announced in April that computer manufacturers would only be allowed to ship Windows XP Home on new PCs until the October 22^nd deadline.

The discontinuation by Microsoft is a result of the company’s planned obsolescence for Windows XP in favor of their latest OS, Windows 7. Shipments were actually supposed to cease at an earlier date, however the deadline was extended due to the high customer demand for Windows XP.

Though XP will not be available as a pre-installed option, Dell still plans to continue supporting drivers for the operating system until December of 2012. This means that customers still have the option of installing their own retail copy of Windows XP on their new Dell system and can expect the manufacturer to provide downloads and technical support.

Customers who have a need to run applications that are only compatible with Windows XP have an option in Windows 7 Professional or Ultimate edition to use a built-in XP Mode to accommodate their needs, as illustrated on Dell’s blog post about the change.

At this point, I don’t believe that customers should be taken by surprise over this announcement. There have been several notifications from Microsoft about the discontinuation of Windows XP leading up to this. Also, since Windows 7 has turned out to be a much bigger crowd-pleaser than Vista, XP’s original successor, the demand for XP is no longer as great as it previously was.