So it turns out that Apple has decided to drop support for Windows XP with their iCloud application, despite supporting it in its predecessor MobileMe. The company’s press release states (via TUAW): “Using iCloud with a PC requires Windows Vista or Windows 7; Outlook 2010 or 2007 is recommended for accessing contacts and calendars.” There is no mention of the almost 10 year old operating system here.
MobileMe and iTunes 10.3 currently both support Windows XP Service Pack 2, but it appears as though Apple’s latest endeavour will not. This could mean the end of XP support for all future Apple software releases and updates, including iTunes, as Apple forces customers to use a more recent iteration of Microsoft’s OS. In fact it wouldn’t be surprising at all, considering the support for Apple’s own Mac OS X goes only as far back as the four-year-old Mac OS X 10.5 Leopard.
Some users may be angry at Apple for dropping support for the most popular version of Windows ever, however others will see it as a good move considering the OS is almost ten years old – a considerable age for something in the technology industry. In fact, Neowin’s own Steven Parker reminds us all that still using Windows XP today is the same using Windows 95 in 2005.
Thanks for the tip Mephistopheles via the forums.