The latest numbers from Microsoft suggest that the software giant has not lost its touch – indeed it may be gaining a new touch with Windows 8, its operating system based on the touchscreen interface. Microsoft says it has sold 40 million Windows 8 licenses during the first month that the software has been on the market. In comparison, 60 million copies of Windows 7 were sold during the first 10 weeks it was available. If this volume continues Windows 8 is on track for a stronger start than its predecessor.
Microsoft did not release sales volumes for its new Surface tablet, which runs Windows 8. It did say that many of the Windows 8 licenses sold are upgrades, which means they are for personal computers rather than tablets. It is not known how many of those upgrades are for existing users and how many are for manufacturers and PC retailers.
In the month since Windows 8 hit the market, the superstar engineer who headed up Microsoft’s Windows unit has left the company. Steve Sinofsky announced his departure on Nov. 12, and responsibility for running the Windows unit is now split between Julie Larson-Green, who oversees engineering, and Tami Reller, who heads up finance and marketing for Windows.
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