BEIJING
(Reuters) - China has banned government use of Windows 8, Microsoft Corp’s
latest operating system, a blow to a U.S. technology company that has long
struggled with sales in the country.
The Central Government Procurement Center issued the ban
on installing Windows 8 on Chinese government computers as part of a notice on
the use of energy-saving products, posted on its website last week.
The official Xinhua news agency said the ban was to ensure
computer security after Microsoft ended support for its Windows XP operating
system, which was widely used in China.
"We were surprised to learn about the reference to
Windows 8 in this notice," the company said in a statement.
"Microsoft has been working proactively with the Central Government
Procurement Center and other government agencies through the evaluation process
to ensure that our products and services meet all government procurement
requirements."
"We
have been and will continue to provide Windows 7 to government customers. At
the same time we are working on the Window 8 evaluation with relevant
government agencies," Microsoft said.
Neither
the government nor Xinhua elaborated on how the ban supported the use of
energy-saving products or how it ensured security.
China
has long been a troublesome market for Microsoft. Former CEO Steve Ballmer
reportedly told employees in 2011 that, because of piracy, Microsoft earned
less revenue in China than in the Netherlands even though computer sales matched
those of the United States.
Last month, Microsoft ended support for the 13-year-old
Windows XP to encourage the adoption of newer, more secure versions of Windows.
This has potentially left XP users vulnerable to viruses and hacking.
"China’s decision to ban Windows 8 from public
procurement hampers Microsoft’s push of the OS to replace XP, which makes up 50
percent of China’s desktop market," said data firm Canalys.
Source: Yahoo
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