Windows 8: 60 Million Licenses Sold, Microsoft Says

Microsoft says it has now sold more than 60 million licenses for its new Windows 8 operating system (OS). However, some observers still contend consumers are receiving the new OS more slowly than they did Windows 7.

Windows Chief Marketing Officer and Chief Financial Officer Tami Reller recently made her announcement about sales of the new OS at a J.P. Morgan Tech Forum that was part of the 2013 Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas.

Reller claimed the 60 million Windows 8 licenses include those sold directly to home and business users, as well as upgrades and bulk sales to computer manufacturers.

60 Million Licenses Sold, but Details Fuzzy

Apparently, Microsoft is counting licenses sold to PC makers who have sold some computers with the new OS, installed other instances of Windows 8 on computers that may still be sitting in a factory or warehouse somewhere, and are holding other Windows 8 licenses in their inventory, entirely unused.

Microsoft wasn't specific about breaking down the numbers, so no one outside the company knows exactly how many copies of Windows 8 are in the hands of end users at this moment. (Source: informationweek.com)

Nevertheless, Microsoft appears pleased with Windows 8's launch. The Redmond, Washington-based firm says early sales of its new OS place Windows 8's adoption rate on a par with the adoption rate of its predecessor, Windows 7.

(Windows 7 sold its first 60 million licenses within 70 days; Windows 8 has taken 74 days to reach that same level.)

But not everyone believes that claim.

InfoWorld's Woody Leonhard says "nobody believes that 60 million PCs are currently running Windows 8." He further asserts that "Microsoft's never played straight with Windows sales numbers, at least not in recent history, and there's no reason to believe it's doing so now." (Source: infoworld.com)

Windows Notebooks: Holiday Sales Down

Other reports support Leonhard's position. On January 4, 2013, industry analyst firm NPD Group found that Windows 8 "did little to boost holiday sales or improve the year-long Windows notebook sales decline." (Source: npd.com)

NPD Group reported that holiday season sales of Windows-based notebook computers fell 11 per cent compared to the same period last year.