Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer said Thursday that the company may reconsider its decision to stop selling Windows XP on June 30. At an event in Belgium, Ballmer told reporters, "If customer feedback varies, we can always wake up smarter," according to an Associated Press report.

In January, InfoWorld launched a campaign to convince Microsoft to keep XP available to customers June 30. More than 160,000 people have signed the Save XP petition so far.

As have Microsoft execs before him, Ballmer strongly defended Windows Vista, saying most customers wanted it and their purchasing actions demonstrate that fact. Still, Vista's new user interface, its new approach to security and the need for most users to get new hardware has caused many to avoid Vista in favor of Windows XP or other operating systems.

Previously, Microsoft has decided to keep Windows XP available for cheap PCs (US$400 and less), as well as for PCs in developing nations, since Vista's hardware requirements were too high for such inexpensive PCs.