Despite consumers said to be unaware of Windows 8's existence, as well as PC suppliers worried over the lack of interest in the operating system, Microsoft has announced that its latest OS has sold over four million copies since its release on Friday.
Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer announced the figure during the Build conference, which hosts 2,000 developers.
The firm hopes to convince developers to create apps for the new operating system, as well as the Windows Phone 8 mobile operating system. "In a sense, what these launches really do is the kick off the golden age of opportunity for you as developers," Ballmer said. Currently, the Windows store features 120,000 apps, while Apple's iOS and Google's Play store both boast over 700,000 apps.
Ballmer said Twitter is working on a Windows 8 app due to launch "in the months ahead." He added: "It will be the most important in terms of highlighting and showcasing some of these capabilities we're talking about today."
"Windows 8 is the best opportunity for software development today," Ballmer stated. "Hundreds of millions of people are aching to use your apps, just dying to use your application." He continued on to stress that there are 670 million PCs running Windows 7, which all can be upgraded to Windows 8.
"I think we're going to see a lot of growth and vitality and explosion in the PC market," Ballmer stressed. "This is a market in which you can do your best work, your most innovative work.... This is a market in which you can make money."
Microsoft is expected to invest $1.5 billion in advertising alone for Windows 8. It'll also offer free Wi-Fi for popular U.S. states in order to generate a buzz for the operating system and ultimately raise awareness among consumers.
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Zak Islam is a freelance writer focusing on security, networking, and general computing. His work also appears at Digital Trends and Tom's Guide.
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edogawa That's not very high, lets assume they sold 4 million OEM copies, that's only four hundred million. Most people bought 40 dollar upgrades I bet, so that's not a huge profit.Reply -
cedric1955 edogawaThat's not very high, lets assume they sold 4 million OEM copies, that's only four hundred million. Most people bought 40 dollar upgrades I bet, so that's not a huge profit.Reply
Microsoft is obviously not trying to get some quick cash, by offering the 40 dollar upgrade they are trying to convince people that they are still a top player and there is still a future for windows. They are just going for the long haul. Plus alot of people aren't aware a new version of windows has even been released, with all the adds this should change and more copies of windows should also be sold. -
zorky9 Agree.. it's trying to establish an ecosystem for Windows 8 which will span across PC, Tablets, Xbox and Mobile.Reply -
nokz Holy crap. An article by Zak Islam that isn't about Apple?! I think hurricane sandy mixed some papers around on his desk. Wait until he discovers this blunder!Reply -
jhansonxi The Win8 app store is similar to the iPad app store in a bad way:Reply
http://club.myce.com/f189/windows-8-apps-few-things-aware-329886
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Bloob edogawaThat's not very high, lets assume they sold 4 million OEM copies, that's only four hundred million. Most people bought 40 dollar upgrades I bet, so that's not a huge profit.That's 4 million upgrades, not counting sales to OEMs. They won't make much from those early upgrades, but I bet it is more important for them to get the ball rolling.Reply
http://microsoft-news.com/microsoft-announces-4-million-windows-8-upgrades/
jhansonxiThe Win8 app store is similar to the iPad app store in a bad way:http://club.myce.com/f189/windows- are-329886It is similar to Google Play in all those ways too. -
ddpruitt Let's see comparisons of Win 7, Vista, and XP when they were released. Then we would have something to compare these numbers too.Reply -
edogawa bak0nIf OEM's are smart they'll start offering Linux options in systems.Reply
Why, if the average consumer has enough trouble with Windows, do you think Linux will be easier for them, it would be a mess.