Despite CEO Steve Ballmer’s comments, Microsoft has no plans to continue selling Windows XP after June 30, the company said Thursday. It added, “Our plan for Windows XP availability is unchanged. We’re confident that’s the right thing to do based on the feedback we’ve heard from our customers and partners.”

Ballmer started a wave of speculation at a press conference in Belgium when he suggested that the June 30 deadline could be changed. “If customer feedback varies we can always wake up smarter, but right now we have a plan for end-of-life for new XP shipments,” he said, according to Reuters.

‘The Dates are Right’

A spokesperson from Microsoft’s public-relations firm, Waggoner Edstrom, told PC World that the company’s research had led it to conclude that “the dates are right.” Microsoft believes “we’ve made the right accommodations for customers in convinced segments who may need more moment to transition to Windows Vista,” she said. “But as Steve noted,

we maintain a constant stance of listening to our customers and our partners. That’s what is guiding our plan, and will continue to guide us going forward.”

The anecdotal evidence suggests otherwise. More than 170,000 humans have signed an online petition spearheaded by InfoWorld magazine to “Save XP.” The petition calls for Microsoft to keep XP around “indefinitely. Not just for another six months or a year but indefinitely.” And enterprise adoption of Windows Vista has so far been tepid.

“Ballmer’s cryptic comments propose that although they say they listen to customers, they’re hard of hearing,” said Galen Gruman, the InfoWorld editor who launched the petition, in an e-mail. “On one hand, Ballmer’s comments acknowledge a demand for XP beyond June 30, but thereupon he indicated that demand is trivial. I believe he’s wrong.”

Dell Pushing Back

Gruman foresees a rising chorus in favor of XP as the…

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