People like stability in the way things are done.
The reason people are attached to XP is the fact that it has been in use for 10 years.
That means, for the last 10 years, most people have been turning on their computers and familiarizing themselves with the way XP works, the way it does things, and its quirks.
People like stability and repeat experiences. This drives brand loyalty. People have become attached to companies, such as Coca-Cola, McDonald's, Disney, and Apple, because of the stability in the products these companies produce. Coca-Cola still tastes the same after 100 years, McDonald's has been offering burgers and fries for more than 60 years, Disney still makes animated movies after 83 years, and Apple is still making computers after 34 years.
Case in point is Apple's OSX. OSX is viewed as a consumer friendly OS, however the fact is, the way OSX works, in terms of look and overall feel has not changed much since 1999.
Re-inventing an entire OS is almost like re-inventing the wheel. If brand new spherical wheels were to be invented and sold tomorrow, a large majority of customers would stick with older wheels, despite the new wheels being better. The customers simply would not feel comfortable with the new wheels, nor would they feel as though the new wheels would suit their needs.
It's time for Microsoft to stop re-inventing the wheel and switch to a model where incremental upgrades are made. That is something Microsoft got *right* with Windows XP and how they built such a loyal user base as a result.
