In the month since the release of Windows 8, Microsoft has sold 40 million licenses of the new operating system. This according to one of the new co-heads of the Windows unit, who notes that sales of the new operating system are outpacing those of Windows 7 at the same stage. The figure, though, does not represent full sales through to customers; the bulk of the 40 million Windows 8 licenses were to PC manufacturers, who in turn sell those machines to companies.
Reuters reports that about 15 million PCs worldwide are currently running Windows 8, accounting for around one percent of the world’s total PC install base.
Windows 8 represents a sizable departure for Microsoft from its normal user interface. In place of the familiar mouse-oriented desktop, the software giant opted to make a touch-centric interface the center of the Windows 8 experience.
The fast growth in license sales may initially be a good sign, but it remains to be seen if enterprise adoption will be strong.
