China’s ban on Windows 8 is due to high cost, or is it?

cloudy deal, better do it swiftly. China recently took everyone by surprise when it was announced that installation of Windows 8 was to be banned on government PCs. Controversy or not, the official government stance here is that this move is because of an energy saving program that, surprisingly, does not include Microsoft’s newest operating system. Surprisingly? Get out of here! However, according an insider, one of the reasons behind this ban could be the high price of Windows 8. According to Yan Xiaohong, the National Copyright Administration deputy director:

“Security problems could arise because of a lack of technical support after Microsoft stopped providing services, making computers with XP vulnerable to hackers. Windows 8 is fairly expensive and will increase government procurement costs.”

Now, obviously, some may be inclined to pen this down as a bit of a revenge on Microsoft not agreeing to extend the support for Windows XP computers in China beyond the retirement date. Which the Chinese government officially requested earlier this year. Nevertheless, a move like this has the potential of affecting Redmond’s plans for the country, hardware and software. Banned in government PCs? It might trickle down to other offices and industries too. And even general users, if the plans for a Linux based national OS take off. It remains to be seen what (and if) Microsoft decides to do to tackle this troublesome little problem. But whatever the company does, whether it is offering Windows 7 at discounted rates, or even collaborating with local authorities to work through this issue, it has to be quick. It has to be swift. Just like the ban itself.]]>