Comments on: Bring Out Your Dead! Windows XP – Not Dead Yet http://www.thommitchell.com/2009/11/09/bring-out-your-dead-windows-xp-not-dead-yet/ Navigating through the intersections of business and technology Wed, 08 Feb 2012 18:06:43 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.1 By: Gary Gilliland http://www.thommitchell.com/2009/11/09/bring-out-your-dead-windows-xp-not-dead-yet/comment-page-1/#comment-3 Gary Gilliland Tue, 10 Nov 2009 16:21:39 +0000 http://www.thommitchell.com/?p=408#comment-3 I think Microsoft's biggest problem is that XP is good enough. The majority of users are in business so Office, a browser and a few line of business apps meet their needs. Home users don't care about the OS since their needs are met by the freebie browser (which isn't as bad as zealots make out ), most other functions are handled for free by the likes of iTunes, free software bundled with cameras etc. In either case the costs of upgrading are hard to justify when the current software meets the user's needs and changes inevitably introduces problems. Whilst small tweaks introduced by new versions are generally of little enough value that the need to relearn provides sufficient barrier to ensure that adoption is minimal. Apple on the other hand is seen as much as fashon / lifestyle brand, with it's users being more tech savvy. So upgrades are accepted as either a fashion requirement or as part of the need to be on the cutting edge of tech. I think Microsoft’s biggest problem is that XP is good enough. The majority of users are in business so Office, a browser and a few line of business apps meet their needs.

Home users don’t care about the OS since their needs are met by the freebie browser (which isn’t as bad as zealots make out ), most other functions are handled for free by the likes of iTunes, free software bundled with cameras etc.

In either case the costs of upgrading are hard to justify when the current software meets the user’s needs and changes inevitably introduces problems. Whilst small tweaks introduced by new versions are generally of little enough value that the need to relearn provides sufficient barrier to ensure that adoption is minimal.

Apple on the other hand is seen as much as fashon / lifestyle brand, with it’s users being more tech savvy. So upgrades are accepted as either a fashion requirement or as part of the need to be on the cutting edge of tech.

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