In an attempt to coax Windows XP users away from the aging operating system, Microsoft is now offering potential PC buyers a $50 gift card to the Microsoft Store if they buy a new computer. The company is also offering 90 days of free phone support, and has partnered with data migration company Laplink to provide users with an easy way to transfer their data from an old PC to a new one.
More than a decade since its release, Microsoft is ending support for XP in April, which means that users of the OS won’t get software or security updates to their computer. Any security flaws that attackers find after that point won’t be patched. Software users count on won’t receive updates, either.
While Microsoft is already launching an all-out campaign to try and convince people of how bad things will be for them once support for XP ends, the company also needs to get some users who have been able to hold on to the familiar XP interface onto Windows 8, which can be a difficult transition. Windows’s user interface has changed a great deal since XP launched, especially with the addition of the Metro-style interface in Windows 8.1.
Microsoft is clearly hoping that users who don’t feel comfortable with the new interface or are worried about losing data will be able to find some comfort with the new promotion.
For users who are just looking for a new computer, other PC buyers’ indecisiveness is their gain. The offer applies to any PC purchase through the Microsoft Store, so it’s possible for customers to get a little extra value out of their new computer purchase, even if they’re not upgrading their OS.
