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Starting soon, some new PCs & OEM's could have something unexpected............. Win/ XP

T

ToBeMe

Diamond Member
  • Microsoft has given PC makers the go-ahead to ship Windows XP as much as one full month before the operating system's official Oct. 25 launch date, sources close to four major PC makers told CNET News.com.

    Computer makers plan to debut PCs and notebooks with the new operating system in late September, a move that could help jump-start stagnant sales. How soon customers could receive the PCs from the manufacturers is not clear, however, because the testing process could be more complicated for this release of Windows than for its predecessors.




    "The industry is hoping to see some kind of upgrade cycle starting with XP," said ARS analyst Toni Duboise. The early release from PC makers "means we could start out the fourth quarter (shipping PCs) with XP; it could only be beneficial."

    Microsoft will send PC makers the final--or gold--code for Windows XP as early as Aug. 15, or about four weeks ahead of schedule, the sources said. That would allow PC makers to sell systems with Windows XP installed in September.

    Another key piece of software is in the starting gate as well. Microsoft is set to release Internet Explorer 6 sometime in the next week. The Web browser will be included with Windows XP and will be available for other Microsoft operating systems.

    Neither move--early release of the gold code or availability on new systems--would be unprecedented. PC makers, for example, also started selling previous releases of Windows, including Windows Me and 2000, ahead of their launch dates. In the case of Office XP, Microsoft released gold code nearly two months ahead of the official May 31 launch, with some PC makers selling the productivity suite on new systems about 30 days earlier.

    PC makers, looking for a big sales boost from Windows XP and Intel's Pentium 4 "Northwood", are hoping the new systems will appeal to back-to-school shoppers during a period typically marked by strong PC sales
 
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