How long will MS continue to sell XP SP2?

I am 1 of 3 people I know who are running an OEM version of XP & have no interest in moving to Vista but are considering buying a boxed version of xpSP2 to ensure that we can continue using the OS if/when we acquire new machines. Does anyone have any idea how long Microsoft intends on continuing to sell XP? (And, if so, will there be any chance of a price discount coming up?) Thanks.

 

A MS spokesperson at (800) MICROSOFT (642-7676) said she understands they will continue to sell the boxed version of XP thru Dec, 2008.

http://blogs.zdnet.com/microsoft/?p=214 = "Microsoft has decided to extend the support lifecycle for the consumer versions of its currently shipping Windows XP system. Microsoft is now providing five years of "mainstream" support, plus five years of "extended support" for XP Media Center and XP Home Edition. Previously, Microsoft provided no extended support for the consumer versions of its XP operating system. Consequently, consumer versions of XP are now covered under mainstream support through April 2009, and under extended support through April 2014. "

 

Thanks for the responses, Pete C & sultan_emerr.
If boxed versions of XP will continue to be sold thru Dec.'08, that's really good news for those of us who love XP but can't really afford the $250-400 CDN to upgrade from OEM versions right now (& it'll help keep our minds off Ubuntu ). Sure hope it's true!

 

Thanks for the link, Arie (couldn't seem to locate it myself). It's re-assuring to see from the source that both OEM & retail versions will be available 'til Jan29'08 (too early for SP3 but good news nonetheless).

 

You're welcome.