Earlier this month, Dell had reinstituted Windows XP as an option on small business computers, citing the need for more time to transition to Windows Vista. Now, following overwhelming demand expressed through Dell's IdeaStorm Web site, Dell is bringing back Windows XP for several consumer desktop and notebook PCs.
Like a TV show whose fans rally after its cancellation, Windows XP will be back for another season on consumer computers at Dell. The computer maker has announced that, due to overwhelming demand, Windows XP Home and Professional will be available once again on at least some consumer machines.
"We heard you loud and clear on bringing the Windows XP option back to our Dell consumer PC offerings," Dell said on its Web site. Four consumer laptops (Dell Inspiron 1405, 1705, 1505, and 1501) and two desktops (Dell Dimension E520 and E521) will once again offer XP as an option.
The demand was articulated through Dell's IdeaStorm site, where users post their suggestions and vote on the best ones. More than 11,000 votes not to eliminate XP made sentiments clear.
Vista Still a Young OS
Earlier this month, Dell had reinstituted XP as an option on small business computers. "Dell recognizes the needs of small business customers and understands that more time is needed to transition to a new operating system," wrote Dell Small Business Marketing Director Tom West on a company blog at the time. "The plan is to continue offering Windows XP on select Dimension and Inspiron systems until later this summer."
But, he wrote, the company did not intend to provide XP for home users "as the preference and demand is for the 'latest and greatest' technology, which includes Windows Vista."
Apparently, not all home users agreed. Vista is "still a young operating system with its own problems," wrote a user named javaprog07 on February 17, in a posting that started the wave of requests. "I would like to see both Home and Business computers, especially notebooks have an XP Home and Pro option on top of Vista until it has at least been out for a year."
Javaprog07 said the request was "for those seasoned users like me, who just feel that you need to let a new OS mature before jumping right in. I am planning on buying a new notebook 
, and I would like to insure I won't have to format it on arrival just to have XP."
'Good Idea for Dell'
Dell's response shows that the company is taking the feedback seriously, said John Spindler, an analyst at technology research firm Current Analysis. "It's a good idea for Dell," he said, "because it shows that they give customers a choice."
But he indicated that, in general, the Windows choices for consumers are quickly getting narrow. In the retail market, he said, "less than 2 percent of consumer machines being sold have XP as an option."
Vista apparently gave a small boost to general consumer desktop sales in January and February of this year, he noted, and Dell probably had the same bump. "But there was a 5 percent drop on general desktop sales in March" of this year, he said, compared with the same time last year. "We expected more of a boost from Vista."
Do these numbers portend trouble for Vista? "I think people are going to upgrade to Vista eventually," he predicted, "but they want to wait longer. We'll probably have to wait until a good word of mouth for Vista begins to spread."By Barry Levine
April 20, 2007 8:48AM
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