Microsoft Invites Office 2003 Users to Upgrade, Offers Money to XP Users

Article by George Norman (Cybersecurity Editor)

on 25 Mar 2014

Microsoft reminded its customers that when support for Windows XP ends, support for Office 2003 will end as well. Support for the Windows XP operating system and for the Office 2003 productivity suite will end on April 8, 2014.

Things have changed a lot since the early 2000s when these products were released. And to show you just how much things have changed, Microsoft rolled out the infographic presented below.

As you may already know, Microsoft will stop supporting Window XP come the 8th of April, 2014. You could keep using Windows XP, but you will be using an outdated operating system that will receive no maintenance updates, to security updates, no technical assistance, and no Microsoft Security Essentials support. Instead of keeping Windows XP, it would be best to upgrade to something new. If not for the outdated operating system part, then for the 100 bucks Microsoft will give you to ditch Window XP.

Windows XP users who visit the Microsoft Store will be presented with the following offer: $100 discount if they purchase a new PC or Windows Surface priced at $599 or more; 90 days of free phone, chat and sales support for the new PC they purchase. Please note that this promo is available until June 15th.

So if you’ve been waiting to get a new PC to replace your old XP-powered machine, you can now get one from the Microsoft Store and save $100. And you can use the tool Microsoft developed in partnership with Laplink to transfer data from your old XP machine to your new PC.

Support for another Microsoft product will end this April. Microsoft reminded its customers that support for Office 2013 will end on April 8 and invited them to upgrade to Office 365, “the productivity solution of today.”

“As much as the world has shifted culturally over the past decade, technology, undoubtedly, has changed the most dramatically,” said the Office 365 tea. “Over ten years ago we introduced Office 2003 into the market, and at the time it was on the cutting edge of productivity – it sported a new Office logo, gave birth to OneNote and had a new look and feel that excited our customers. But Office 2003 no longer meets the needs of the way we work, play and live today. For this reason, it is time to say farewell to Office 2003 and embrace the productivity solution of today – Office 365.”

To showcase how much things have changed since the early 2000s, Microsoft released this infographic.



As mentioned above, support for the Windows XP operating system and for the Office 2003 productivity suite will end this April. Know what else will happen this April? Microsoft’s acquisition of the Nokia Devices and Services business will close. Microsoft expects to close the acquisition this April.

“The completion of this acquisition will mark the first step to bring Microsoft and the Nokia Devices and Services business together. Our acquisition will accelerate our mobile-first, cloud-first imperatives. We’re looking forward to accelerating innovation and market adoption for Windows Phones and introducing the next billion customers to Microsoft services via Nokia mobile phones,” commented Brad Smith, General Counsel & Executive Vice President, Legal & Corporate Affairs, Microsoft.



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