Microsoft’s Windows 8 operating system may only have launched on Friday, but the Redmond company is already reporting sales in excess of four million. Speaking at his company’s BUILD 2012 conference, CEO Steve Ballmer noted enthusiasm among consumers for Windows 8 was “very high," and the the four million head count takes into consideration individual purchases, units sold to stores, and those expected to be sold.
Microsoft has followed the lead of rival Apple in trying to coerce consumers into upgrading online, and to offer some sort of perspective on the immediate post-launch figures of Windows 8, Apple’s Mountain Lion managed to move three million copies in its first four days. Given how many more PCs there are out there than Macs, Microsoft’s numbers are far from exhilarating, but with new (and vastly-altered) iterations of Windows arriving ever 3-4 years as opposed to every twelve months, PC users are naturally a little less trigger happy in hitting the "upgrade" button.
As consumers really begin to adapt to Windows 8, sales will increase significantly, and with “tens of millions” of copies of Windows 8 having been sold to OEM partners according to Ballmer, it would seem the launch of Windows 8 has been rather painless thus far.
In other Windows 8-related news, the SDK for Windows Phone 8 is now live, so those looking to develop apps for the platform now have a powerful set of tools to assist them. While general consumer interest is important in the adoption of Windows Phone 8, the number of apps available will, you feel, make or break the platform. The software maker has already promised the likes of Temple Run will be heading to the Windows Phone Store this Fall, and as innocuous as it may sound, those kinds of releases are just as important as the many useful apps consumers look out for.
Don’t forget, if you’ve yet to upgrade to Windows 8 and want to be in with a chance of winning one of two free copies of Windows 8 Pro, make sure you enter our competition. Entries will be accepted up until the competition’s end tomorrow, so don’t delay if you wish not to miss out.
For those who have already adopted Windows 8, what are your thoughts? Please do share them via the usual channels below!
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