Microsoft offers users $100 toward Windows 8 devices with XP trade-in offer
Summary: As
the end of Windows XP support on April 8 approaches, Microsoft is making
available a new trade-in offer for those willing to switch their XP
machines for Windows 8.1 ones.
Microsoft is offering Windows XP users $100 toward their
purchase of a Surface Pro 2 or other select Windows 8.1 PCs worth more
than $599.
The offer runs from March 20, 2014 until June 15, 2014,
or "while supplies last," according to the offer page on Microsoft's
online site. The offer is available in select Microsoft retail and
online stores in the U.S., Puerto Rico and Canada. ARM-based Surface 2s
are not included among the machines that qualify. There's a one device
limit, and the $100 credit isn't available on prior orders or purchases.
Those who take advantage of the offer also get 90 days of free
support for their new Windows 8 devices from Microsoft. Microsoft is
also touting availability of the free Laplink data-transfer service, allowing users to move their files, photos, music and settings to new PCs, as part of the package.
Process Flow: Here's how this trade-in works, according to a company spokesperson: "This is a special promotion for current XP users. Customers
going to MicrosoftStore.com from a machine running Windows XP will see
the deal pop up automatically. "People can also bring in their old XP device to one of the more
than 80 Microsoft retail store locations and instantly save $100 on the
purchase of a qualifying PC priced at $599 or above."
Microsoft is ending its support for Windows XP on April 8, 2014. After that time, Microsoft will no longer provide any patches or fixes to Windows XP users -- other than those Premier Support customers who pay a hefty fee for custom patches.
I'm not optimistic that this offer will win over many XP holdouts.
Some of the folks still using XP are self-acknowledged cheapskates, but
others are still using XP because of corporate policies, incompatible
software and peripherals and other reasons. But I guess it's worth a
try....
A Google Docs glitch reminds users that the cloud's convenience can come at the expense of privacy and control. Google has fixed a glitch in Docs that triggered panic for some who could no longer access or share files because Google's systems had ruled they violated its terms of service. The problem left affected Google Docs users baffled when attempting to open files only to be told by Google that the item had been "flagged as inappropriate and can no longer be shared". Others were told they couldn't access the file, while some reported deleted files. Around 100 users reported the issue on the Google Docs help forum and for several hours were anxiously awaiting a response and fix from Google. National Geographic reporter Rachel Bale was surprised that her draft of a story about wildlife crime would be locked for a violation of Google's terms of service. After hearing that others experienced the same problem, she figured it was a glitch -- ra...
Workday will enter the PaaS game as it hatches plans to open its cloud platform and court developers. Workday plans to open up its platform to developers, partners and third party software vendors. In a blog post , CEO Aneel Bhusri said the move will settle a long-running question for Workday. Bhusri added that Workday chose to focus on reliability and scalability as it built out its cloud service before opening up. Meanwhile, customers have been asking for "a more open Workday platform." These customers "want to use Workday as a cloud backbone that supports cohesive, digital workflows across multiple business applications." With the move, Workday enters the platform-as-a-service game and can better counter rivals. Oracle offers PaaS; SAP Cloud Platform is focused on connecting its apps; Salesforce has its formidable ecosystem; and companies like ServiceNow have opened up to expand into new enterprise areas including human resources. Here's the PaaS la...
Microsoft releases public preview of Application Guard for Office. Microsoft is edging closer to general availability of its Application Guard security technology for Microsoft 365 apps, which gives IT admins and security staff a little more assurance that users opening risky attachments won't cause a malware outbreak. Application Guard offers additional protections for enterprises using Word, Excel, and PowerPoint for Microsoft 365 and Windows 10 Enterprise. Microsoft argues that Application Guard for Office or Microsoft Defender Application Guard for Office "helps prevent untrusted files from accessing trusted resources, keeping your enterprise safe from new and emerging attacks". Microsoft released the private preview of Application Guard for Office in February, extending a feature that had until then only been available for the new Edge browser. The feature allows users to open websites safely with the protection of hardware-level containerization. The ...
Comments
Post a Comment