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The Central Government Procurement Center issued
the ban on installing Windows 8 on 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.
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 U.S.
Microsoft declined to comment.
Last month, Microsoft ended support for the 13-year-old 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.
(Reporting by Paul Carsten and Beijing Newsroom; Editing by
Christopher Cushing)
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