CheekyMonkey :) led me to this story over on WinInfo, where Paul, aka Mr WinInfo has this information regarding Windows XP information he obtained while being briefed by Microsoft.
First, regarding the controversial new Windows Product Activation (WPA) technology, Microsoft told me that the vast majority of new PCs shipping from PC makers will have WPA tied solely to the BIOS. This means that users can change every single piece of hardware on their system and never have to activate the product. This includes the motherboard as well, assuming they get a new motherboard from the same PC maker.
Microsoft has changed the reactivation requirement to at least 6 hardware components as long as the machine has a network interface card (NIC) installed. That is, users will be able to change at least 6 hardware devices in such a machine before XP would require a reactivation.
Telephone support to go 24x7 as of September 14th, and it expects that users who call to activate or reactivate Windows will never have to wait more than 10 minutes.
Family License Pack, not complete yet, but the licenses will offer an $8 - $12 discount over the normal XP cost, and will require at least one retail or OEM copy of XP to be purchased first.
The cost of the MP3 Encoding and DVD Playback Add-on Packs for Windows XP will also be less expensive than anticipated, the MP3 pack for less than $10 (via several vendors and the web). The DVD pack, costing $10 to $15 will also be available from a variety of software makers.
And last but not least, more Windows Updates, available, via WindowsUpdate
- Windows Messenger updated, includes compatibility with Exchange Server 2000.
- Windows Movie Maker (WMM) updated from 1.1, to version 1.2.
Supports audio (WMA) and Video (WMV) version 8, including 640 x 480 WMV mode for digital video. - A number of system drivers have been hardened since the RC2 release, in order to prevent system failures; previously, users could install these drivers even when warned by XP.