低价便携本旺销 微软或将考虑推迟XP停售时间
按照微软最初的计划，Windows XP系统在2008年1月底便将被停售，但由于用户和厂商的强烈要求，Windows XP系统的停售日期不得不延迟至2008年6月底，转眼间，6月份也将很快来到，微软将不得不再次作出选择。
华硕Eee PC
2007年10月底，华硕Eee PC的横空出世为本来已经十分火爆的笔记本市场又增添了一抹亮色;紧随其后，众厂商纷纷推出自己的廉价便携笔记本，笔记本的价格底线也被一次次地打破，在用户已经慢慢习惯花便宜的价格来购买笔记本时，微软也在不遗余力地推销着自己花费五年时间打造的Vista操作系统。
Elonex One
按照微软原来的计划，在今年的6月之后停售Windows XP系统，也不再向OEM厂商供货，微软希望能够让用户尽快地过渡到Vista，但易PC等低价超便携笔记本的出现却打乱了微软的步伐。
由于Windows XP系统相比Vista对笔记本的配置要求更低，所以更适合在易PC、Classmate PC、Cloudbook等低价笔记本上使用，而随着这些低价笔记本在市场上的走俏，微软也不得不重新考虑Windows XP系统的停售时间。
另外一方面，我们注意到，惠普、宏碁、ECS以及微星等厂商都推出了低价笔记本产品，这些产品配置Windows XP系统最为合适，所以这对于微软来说是个难题，如果不提供Windows XP系统，这些产品只有采用免费的Linux系统。这样的话，随着这些低价笔记本的流行，Linux系统必然会占据更大的市场份额，这是微软所不愿看到的。
Vista操作系统固然比XP在诸多方面拥有改善，但面对笔记本电脑在亚太市场的普及风暴，相信微软会做出一种折中的选择以确保自己在全球的领导地位。
Microsoft Corp. has further extended the life of Windows XP so that computer makers can include the operating system on low-cost desktop PCs, the company announced at the Computex trade show today.
Microsoft has been under pressure from computer makers to provide a version of its operating system for an emerging class of very low-cost laptops and desktops. Its new Windows Vista OS is widely seen as too resource-hungry for those machines.
In April, Microsoft extended its deadline for selling Windows XP licenses for low-cost laptops like the Asus Eee PC. It had originally planned to stop selling most XP licenses on June 30.
At Computex, the company said it has also extended the deadline for low-cost desktops. PC makers can now include Windows XP in those systems until 2010, the same as the deadline for low-cost laptops, said Rob Young, a senior director with Microsoft's OEM group.
In a statement, Microsoft said the extension applies to Nettops, a term coined by Intel to refer to low-cost desktops that have limited system configurations and are intended for simple tasks like surfing the Internet and sending e-mail. Examples include the upcoming Asus Eee Box, which is on show here at Computex.
It was unclear what limitations Microsoft may put on PC makers to prevent them from installing Windows XP on more capable machines. Young said Microsoft and PC vendors are in general agreement over what constitutes a Nettop and suggested that Microsoft won't specify the hardware configurations that vendors can use with XP.
Microsoft said it was responding to the growing popularity of Nettops and Netbooks and to demands from PC makers to provide a suitable opeating system for those machines.
Microsoft's statement was ambiguous, saying only that it would extend the deadline for "the Windows offering" to include Nettops. Young confirmed that the extension applies to Windows XP.
"We have seen much demand for Windows on the Eee PC," Jerry Shen, CEO of Asustek Computer, said in the statement. "It is great that Microsoft is addressing this customer demand and providing a Windows solution on these devices, which will provide a familiar computing experience."