Microsoft: “Help Your Friends And Family Get Off Windows XP”

That it is time to say goodbye to Windows XP is old news. Microsoft has given Windows XP users a lot of advisories about end of support for the legacy software, asking people to upgrade to newer versions of the operating system so as to keep computers safe (safer) from online risks. Then again, Microsoft has already backtracked and has extended support for XP anti-malware updates. That doesn’t mean that Windows XP will have a second life, though.
To end last week, Brandon LeBlanc sent out a plea to its users via a blog post titled ”Help Your Friends And Family Get Off Windows XP“. (Is is just me, or does the title seem to compare Windows XP to an addictive drug of some sort?)

Published 60 days before end of support for Windows XP, the blog entry is focused on urging people to “spread the word”; that is, convince everyone else that they should stop clinging to the old operating system and upgrade.
The plea is reminiscent of a previous post giving people specific options:

1. Upgrade their current PC if it meets the system requirements for Windows 8.1.  This basically means keeping your PC if it’s not that ancient, but buying Windows 8.1.
2. Get a new PC. I love how LeBlanc phrased his explanation: “The easiest path to Windows 8.1 is with new devices.” Whether you have an outdated PC or not, if you do not feel like going through backing up data and installing a new OS, here’s the easiest thing to do: buy a new computer!

LeBlanc may very well have written this post with the best intentions, but it is understandable if the entry comes across as a sales pitch for Windows 8.1 (and computers). Who’s to say what is what? Microsoft is a business after all, and we all know why businesses exist.
What do you think of this not-so-impassioned plea?