Windows 8 passes 200 million license sales

[Arthur]

Hardly a disaster then (as some people make it out to be).

 

Sources: ZDNet / Neowin

 

It's been a while since Microsoft execs shared an official count of licenses of Windows 8 sold. Last time we got a tally was in May 2013, when the Softies said the company had sold more than 100 million licenses.

 

On February 13, however, Microsoft's Executive Vice President of Marketing Tami Reller, casually dropped an updated figure of 200 million Windows 8 licenses sold. Reller made that remark during an appearance at the Goldman Sachs Technology & Internet Conference.

 

Windows 8 and Windows RT went on sale on October 26, 2012. Microsoft officials said they sold more than 40 million copies of Windows 8 the first month it was commercially available. On January 8, 2013, Microsoft officials said the company had sold 60 million licenses of Windows 8 to date.

 

On May 6, 2013, Microsoft officials said the company surpassed the 100 million Windows 8 licenses sold milestone. At that time, the Softies said that 100 million figure was on par with the number of Windows 7 licenses the company sold in its first six months on the market.

 

Windows 7 hit the 240 million licenses sold in its first 12 months. Windows 8 is now just past 200 million after about 15-plus months on the market.

 

Microsoft's "licenses sold" numbers are "sell in" numbers. That means these figures include sales of licenses to OEMs, as well as Windows 8 upgrades. They don't include copies of Windows 8 sold via volume-licensing agreements. The "licenses sold" numbers may or may not also include Windows RT license numbers. (Microsoft officials have declined to say).

[free780]

Well ms are pretty much forcing oems to use it rather than 7.

[Arthur]

Well ms are pretty much forcing oems to use it rather than 7.

Just like with previous versions of Windows then.

 

OEMs should always ship computers with the latest OS available by default. i.e. unless the customer chooses to downgrade.

 

Google are starting to learn that they must force OEMs to use the latest version of Android too, since adoption of new versions is always slow.

[Arthur]

First 15 months sales:

 

• Windows 8: 200 million
  
• Windows 7: 300 million
  
• Windows Vista: ~128 million
  
• Windows XP: ~120 million (based on an IDC estimate, as Microsoft released few early sales figures for XP).
  

It looks like Windows 7 is a bit of an anomaly. There has never been a version of Windows that has sold as well (either before or after it was released).