Will Ditching Support For Win98 Boost Computer Sales?

from the pushing-everyone-along... dept

For the past few years, the tech industry keeps trying to come up with new reasons why people should upgrade their computers - while most people have realized that what they have is "good enough". Most people don't think they need to upgrade nearly as often, and the introduction of new Microsoft operating systems (while helping), didn't give the computer industry quite the jolt they hoped for. Now, however, as Microsoft is preparing to end their support of Windows 98, analysts are wondering if it could help boost the computer industry by forcing everyone to upgrade their old machines. Since businesses don't want to be without tech support, they're likely to upgrade, and consumers who run into problems and can't get help might see their only option as an upgrade, as well.
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  • identicon
    dorpus, 15 Jan 2003 @ 12:47pm

    Or the other way

    Consumers learn to live without computers, because they cause too many problems. Inbetween cell phones and being able to use someone else's computer (friend or work), who needs a home computer?

    link to this | view in chronology ]

  • identicon
    Chris, 15 Jan 2003 @ 1:25pm

    No Subject Given

    Consumers don't really get any help from Microsoft anyway, so I don't think they will run screaming to CompUSA on the day MS ends official support for Win 98. If they are just using their computer for Web, Email, and Word Processing, they would be much better served by formatting their hard drive and installing Linux. Really, the only reason I have a Windows box is gaming.

    link to this | view in chronology ]

    • identicon
      win98techsupportguy, 22 Apr 2003 @ 5:11pm

      Re: No Subject Given

      you obviously don't know a thing about win98. Linux would have the same amount of problems if the world would use it all the time. Microsoft helps more people then you think! You don't get the calls from people needing help.

      link to this | view in chronology ]

  • identicon
    msman, 16 Jan 2003 @ 5:17am

    Support

    How many people know they have support anyway?

    link to this | view in chronology ]

  • identicon
    Rocky, 16 Jan 2003 @ 8:02am

    Business

    The company I work for still uses Win95 and is slowly phsing W2K.

    "Since businesses don't want to be without tech support, they're likely to upgrade"

    Now I think tech support is what they pay me a salary for, tech support.

    Now the home user will upgrade if the computer is no longer meeting their needs (gamers) but if they are only doing the big 3 (Email, Web & Word Processing) then unless they are pressured to buy a new one they wont need to.

    link to this | view in chronology ]

  • identicon
    Oliver Wendell Jones, 16 Jan 2003 @ 8:35am

    It's not Microsoft's support that matters...

    It's what the other IT vendors are going to do that matters. If you run Windows 98 and go to buy a scanner/printer/whatever and find that it doesn't support anything less than Windows 2000, you might have to upgrade.

    The company that I work for develops software for a wide market of people and we're still supporting Windows 95 because a lot of our customers are still using it. We would love to drop older OSs that are now 'obsolete' but we would lose a sizable portion of our customers, so we can't.

    link to this | view in chronology ]

  • identicon
    Sharon, 16 Jan 2003 @ 10:00am

    Phasing out Win98 support

    Here at our computer store, we've honestly installed XP only three times so far, and two of those customers were so PO'd that they came back in and wanted their 98 back. I don't blame them, until there are sufficient patches and fixes to problems with XP, I won't install it, I won't use it and I won't be pressured into upgrading. My computer, command central at home, does all I need it to do and there is plenty of online help, lists of folks out there who are die hard resisters to upgrading like myself who will share what we all need to run Win98SE. Fix XP and perhaps I'll move on. It is laughable that since SP1 didn't fix the disappearing dial up problem, one is told to try the suggestions on Knowledge Base and if they don't work.....Re-Format??????? No way, Fix it or Forget it. Sharon

    link to this | view in chronology ]

    • identicon
      98techsupportguy, 22 Apr 2003 @ 5:16pm

      Re: Phasing out Win98 support

      You guys are obviously installing XP on crap hardware. If one knows what they are doing, it will work!

      link to this | view in chronology ]


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