Windows Client Roadmap

Today a letter from Bill Veghte, Senior VP of Windows at Microsoft, has gone out to all Windows customers about the “end of sales” date (June 30) for Windows XP and what that means as well as an update about Vista and Windows 7. You can read the full letter here. I’ve outlined some of the key points below:

About Windows XP:

• Support will continue until April 2014.
• Windows XP will still be available for those that need it through downgrade rights.
• Windows XP Home and Windows XP Starter will be available for customers interested in buying a low-end PC (also called a Netbook or NetTop).
• System Builders may continue to purchase Windows XP until January 31, 2009.

About Windows Vista:

• Significant security advances built into Vista have had the following results:
  • half the number of critical vulnerabilities in Vista as Windows XP SP2 had in the same time period
  • 60% less likelihood of being infected with malware compared with Windows XP SP2
  • IE 7, included with Vista, stops about 1 million phishing attempts every week
• Architectural changes which improved system security and resilience led to compatibility issues. However, this is a continual focus and today the following is true:
  • Vista supports about 77000 components and devices – twice as many as at launch
  • 98 of the top 100 applications for Windows sold at retail stores in the US last year are compatible
  • there are updates for more than 125 popular PC games to enable them to work with Vista, all available through Windows Update
• Service Pack 1 includes no new features, but hundreds of small updates allowing for files to copy up to 50% quicker, large folders to decompress 71% faster and improved system diagnostics to make Vista easier for IT organizations to support, among other things.
• We’ve helped OEM partners shorten the time it takes to startup/shutdown Vista and extend battery life by improving driver quality.
• We continue to collect feedback from customers and work with partners to improve compatibility and remove barriers that prevent people from taking advantage of Vista.

About Windows 7:

• This is the working name for the next release of Microsoft Windows.
• It will be delivered approximately 3 years after the general availability launch date of Windows Vista (which was January 2007).
• It will be built off the same core infrastructure as Windows Vista, so there will be less compatibility issues and a straightforward migration process.

While none of this information is new, Bill’s letter is part of the continued effort to engage in open and continuous communication between Microsoft and Microsoft customers. If you have any questions or comments about the Windows roadmap and what it means to your organization, leave them below and our team will answer them.