Goodbye Windows XP, Hello HP?

Will Microsoft ending support for Windows XP salvage flagging PC sales? HP certainly thinks so.

Speaking at the HP Discover Conference in Las Vegas, the excited PC manufacturer believes the demise of XP on April 8 2014 will signal a boost in revenue for the industry.

Forgetting the soon to be released Windows 8.1 update, HP addressed the audience with a simple slide - reading "Goodbye XP, Hello HP."

"We think this will bring a big opportunity for HP," said Enrique Lore, senior vice president and general manager of PCs, HP.

Lore's opinion follows similar comments coming from the company last week, when HP branded the PC demise as "greatly exaggerated."

“Rumours of the demise of the desktop PC are greatly exaggerated,” said Greg Morris, category manager for printing and personal Systems, HP.

“The desktop PC will remain the content creation device of the future.”

Microsoft agreed, with corporate vice president of Corporate Communications claiming the "PC is alive and well and thriving" last month.

But with Windows 8 blamed in part for a slump in PC sales, and with Microsoft's first public demo of the upcoming Windows 8.1 fresh in the mind, Lore claims the rise in revenue will stem from the end of XP.

"Yes, significantly more, especially on the commercial side," he insisted.

Branded as the largest PC vendor in the world by research group IDC, the HP Discover 2013 Conference runs from June 11-13.

Will the end of Windows XP support help boost flagging PC sales? Tell us your thoughts below