New OS outpacing Windows 7 sales, says Microsoft
Microsoft has revealed that Windows 8 has sold over 40 million licenses just after launch.
Despite a mixed critical reception, the OS is outselling its predecessor Windows 7 in terms of upgrades sold for its time on the market, according to a post on the official Windows blog.
"The journey is just beginning, but I am pleased to announce today that we have sold 40 million Windows 8 licenses so far,” said Tami Reller at the Credit Suisse 2012 Annual Technology Conference
This doesn't mean that Windows 8 has 40 million users, license sales apply also to computer manufacturers buying licenses in bulk for pre-installed hardware.
Windows 8 also has an added advantage over its predecessor in terms of license sales, as the OS ships on mobile devices as well as PCs.
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There is currently no word of the breakdown between sales of the desktop and mobile versions of Windows 8.
One big anchor on Windows 8 sale figures is the antics of hardware manufacturers. Most perfectly healthy home computers will need expensive hardware upgrades because the hardware maker refuses to either upgrade drivers to make it possible, or keep not tell you which ones do work. Of all the fifteen perfectly healthy and extremely fast computers i have built in the last decade only three will cleanly take on board Windows 8. The other twelve require either a prayer, voodoo, sculduggery, or me. The upgrade from 98 was real sweet. The upgrade from XP though was a minefield, hence the sluggish sales for Vista. Microsoft have publicly stated that most Windows 7 drivers will upgrade easily enough to Windows 8, great. The people that should say that though are the hardware makers but they know it's more profitable not to.
