Dell reintroduces XP on home systems

Amid significant customer demand, computer maker Dell said on Thursday it has added Windows XP back as an option on some consumer PCs.

Dell, like most computer makers, switched nearly entirely to Vista-based systems following Microsoft's mainstream launch of Vista in January. The company, however, said that Dell customers have been asking for XP as part of its IdeaStorm project, which asks customers to help the company come up with product ideas.

"We heard you loud and clear on bringing the Windows XP option back to our Dell consumer PC offerings," Dell said on its Ideas in Action page. Users get to vote on various suggestions and the notion of bringing back XP got 10,000 'points' making it among the most popular requests, but well below top picks such as adding Linux or OpenOffice.

Windows XP systems became scarce, but not impossible to find after Vista arrived. For example, HP said it would continue selling XP on some machines aimed at small and midsize businesses, while US retailer CompUSA still stocks a couple of business-oriented XP systems in its stores. Lenovo has also continued shipping XP on many of its business systems.

Starting immediately, Dell said, it is adding XP Home and Professional as options on four Inspiron laptop models and two Dimension desktops.

Earlier this month, Dell added XP back as an option for small business customers, but at the time said it would not add it back for home users.

"Dell does not have plans to launch Windows XP for home users as the preference and demand is for the 'latest and greatest' technology which includes Windows Vista," Dell director of small business marketing Tom West said in a blog posting at the time.

Analysts say Dell's move is not a good sign for Windows Vista.

"That there is remaining demand from some segment of [the] consumer market points to the inability of Vista to resonate with consumers," said IDC analyst Richard Shim.

There was an initial bump for Vista sales right after its launch, Shim said, but some of that may have been from consumers who delayed purchasing a PC late last year. Sales in the later part of the first quarter were less strong, he said. The overall response to Vista will become clearer throughout the year, he added.

Microsoft representatives were not immediately available for comment.