With Microsoft Ends Support For Windows XP; Could Put Millions Of Computers At Risk, the company has now offered $100 (approx. Rs. 6100) discount and a load of freebies for a user migrating from Windows XP to Windows 8 OS. The offer will however, be valid on machines costing more than $699 (approx. Rs. 42,000), that too only if bought via the Windows online store. It is a good strategy by Windows to lure users to the latest Windows 8 and also boost the sales of it's online store. The free services offered along with the $100 discount include 90 days of tech support and a utility for migrating your files to the new machine. It is also being speculated that #-Link-Snipped-#.

Recent estimates show that almost 15% PCs and about 95% of ATM machines still run on Windows XP. This proved to be a great deal to be worried about since the day Windows will pull the plug on Windows XP will be April 8 and that this will leave many PCs vulnerable to viruses and hackers. But the Redmond based software giant has assured to support its security products through July 2015. However, the company has warned that the effectiveness of its anti-malware solutions will be limited.

Compared to the major success Windows 7 achieved, Windows 8 has been subject to a bit lukewarm reviews, with a majority of users criticizing the user interface for being potentially confusing and difficult to learn (especially when used with a keyboard and mouse instead of a touchscreen). Nonetheless, 60 million Windows 8 licenses have been sold until January 2013. A Windows 8.1 version was released in October 2013 which addressed a few shortcomings from its previous release.

Source: tech.firstpost.com