China has banned the installation of Microsoft Windows 8 on any new government computer; the timing of the statement would seem to be in chorus with the recent indictment of five Chinese nationals, but the original statement was made last week by the Central Government Procurement Center and only picked up by the official Xinhua news agency today.

According to the Times Of India, the announcement said desktop, laptop and tablet personal computers bought for government use must use a different operating system.

The official Xinhua news agency said the ban was to ensure computer security after Microsoft ended support for its Windows XP operating system, which was widely used in China.

Neither the government nor Xinhua elaborated on how the ban supported the use of energy-saving products, or how it ensured security.

It is not yet clear on what exactly is the cause of Windows 8 ban.

I also have banned Windows 8 on my computer, and I know that the cause of my ban is those darn tiles....