China forbids Windows 8 on government computers

In a setback for Microsoft, China has banned use of Windows 8 in government computers citing security reasons, according to a Chinese news agency.

An online statement issued by Central Government Procurement Centre stated that all laptops, desktops and Tablet PC's purchased by state organizations must have operating systems other than Windows 8. However personal computers will be unaffected by the move as its applies only to government computers. Microsoft revenue is set to be affected as the company is already facing sales and piracy issues in the country.

Microsoft's ending of support to Windows XP and security concerns were the reason for the ban, according to Xinhua news agency. Chinese users were major users of the Windows XP which was launched 13 years back. The government did not comment on how the ban would security or usage of energy-saving products. Even though Microsoft in China sells the same number of computers sold in the U.S, the revenue earned is less when compared to Netherlands.

'China's decision to ban Windows 8 hampers Microsoft's push of the OS to replace XP, which makes up 50 percent of China's desktop market,' said data firm .

Yan , National Copyright Administration Deputy director mention that security problems could arise after Microsoft stopped providing support to Windows XP and the OS can become vulnerable to hackers. The Chinese Government stated that it was making possible efforts to solve security risks for government agencies after Microsoft's decision.

The Chinese Government's move to ban Windows 8 is also seen as a retaliation for indicting cyber-espionage officers who had stolen internal data from American companies for the benefit of Chinese state-owned companies. China had also suspended the China-US Cyber Working Group.

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