I knew it was tempting fate. The other night at a Microsoft shindig (the exact point of which, I’m still unsure), I struck up a conversation with one of the Vista marketing managers. In between discussing the dreadfully dull Champions League semi-final that was unfolding on the Media Center in front of us, I casually asked:

“So, XP – is it really going this time?”

“Yes, definitely,” our Vista man replied. “We’ve extended the deadline once, we can’t keep XP alive for ever.”

Less than 48 hours later, and a journalist in Belgium pops the same question to someone slightly higher up the Microsoft hierachy – Steve Ballmer – who replies:

“If customer feedback varies we can always wake up smarter…”

Someone set the alarm clock.