It's official- Windows XP is the new Vista Lite

We called for a "Vista Lite" version that pares down the behemoth that is Vista to run adequately on mobile devices.  Vista just requires so much from the hardware that it can tax UMPCs and other mobile PCs to limits that are, well, frustrating to say the least.  Yesterday word came out that Microsoft was definitely ending Windows XP availability on June 30th of this year.  The significant news behind this major announcement was the ability for makers of "Ultra Low-Cost PCs" or ULPCs, to continue to preload Windows XP until 2010.  ULPCs are nebulously defined as devices like the EEE PC with lower cost (and performing) hardware that cannot run Vista well.  The ability to install XP on these types of devices mean that XP really doesn't go away on June 30, despite the announcement.  What remains to be seen is who gets to define whether a given new device qualifies as a ULPC and can have XP, Microsoft or the OEM?  I foresee a gray area of contention here that will only hit us consumers.  Microsoft was quick to say that current Origami devices (UMPCs) are not considered ULPCs as the hardware can run Vista fine.  That's a stretch in my opinion.

Comments

[Kevin White]

Of course Microsoft is going to say Vista runs fine on Origami/UMPC devices. It's their own platform. The EEE wasn't Microsoft's idea, was it?

This sounds mean but it's not. That'd be like Apple spearheading some kind of new platform based on the MacBook Air which was so light and portable that it didn't really have the horsepower to run Leopard, and thus making it 'ok' to keep Tiger installed on their new forward-thinking fancy toy. Apple wouldn't do that, and we'd think they were crazy if they did.

[John in Norway]

If they'd put Vista's handwriting recognition engine in XP I'd go back to it now. NOW I SAY!

I'm actually thinking of doing it on my OQO anyway because I'm noticing that Vista is taking up more and more space on all my PCs.

[Alslayer]

I really like XP. I was even thinking of buying another copy for backup. It is just a clean and fast os. I find it interesting we put so much effort in our os when the os should be designed just to run programs and not much more.

[captgoodhope]

I agree with John. Let's figure out a way to get vista's tablet bits in xp and I'm gone.