News - 40 million copies of Windows 8 sold in its first month

[HEXUS]

That’s better than Windows 7 did three years ago, says Tami Reller.

Read more.

[Andrew McP]

Ok, I confess that's way more than I expected, despite the low cost of entry. Pitching the price into "pocket money" territory clearly helped... as, no doubt, did the ability to cheat and get the very cheap upgrade.

[shaithis]

Microsoft learns Apples OS pricing scheme is potentially worthwhile......

[dangel]

The prices (so we're told) aren't permanent though and so over six months we'll see how it really performs. It's difficult to judge though - on one hand the current pricing is very good but on the other hand 7 is very good and the economic climate is awful right now. Hard call but it certainly won't be the crushing failure some would have you believe imho.

[kingpotnoodle]

Windows 8 not so bad after all, ha!

Windows 8 is going to sell because to Average Joe it is good, now he is touching Windows just like a phone or iPad/tablet (which sales prove Average Joes like a lot) - most people are so bad with computers the productivity slowdown some nerds/geeks/'techies'/ranters claim just isn't a noticeable factor because Average Joes can poke quicker than they can mouse.

[Jonj1611]

I dont think its a case of "customers get the product", I think its more a case of that its so damn cheap.

[JamesIT]

I love windows 8! And the price is decent too. Well worth upgrade

[dangel]

I've had stacks of people wander up to me in the past few weeks to ask about 8 - they never go on about the differences, they just ask *what they are* and if it's worth having. I don't think the malaise over the new UI has really permeated the general populaces psyche like say Vista did, plus of course it actually works well (in that it's more per-formant and there's some love to be had on the desktop proper away from MUI stuff).

[TheAnimus]

I dont think its a case of "customers get the product", I think its more a case of that its so damn cheap.

Cheaper than what thou?

Because if you've got windows 7, there has to be some reason to make you want to upgrade, even if the upgrade itself is only £20, you've got to justify that 20, plus the time to do the upgrade!

Last year I was teaching someone to use a laptop for this charity thing. The lady in question, despite been 20something had never used a computer before. The concept of the touch pad was learn't quite quickly, even thou she lacked any kind of skill with it.

Yet as soon as I guestered to the internet browser icon with my finger (she had forgotton what it looked like) she imediately reach out and touched the non-touch screen, then proceded to comment about how that would be easier.

Windows 8 has a lot of functionality for comptuer idiots.

[Jonj1611]

Well for me I would have waited until some point next year if the pricing had been inline with normal Windows pricing, as it happens I knew the cheaper option was only available to January and also knew that money would be tight around xmas so thought now would be the best time to get it. For me it was a financial choice.

I hardly ever use the start screen now, its there because its the first thing it loads, every application I regularly use is on the desktop, and those built in apps just annoy me, as I have said in a previous post, an example is the news tile, I see something that catches my eye, click on it and that particular story is nowhere to be found, same for the sport, I saw something about the masters snooker, clicked on it and nothing but football.

But that being said I don't have anything against the start screen, I just don't use it much.

Hmm went off on a bit of a tangent there. lol

As for the upgrade time, I did a clean install and didn't keep anything, just put the documents,pictures etc back with a backup copy. So didn't take me that long.

[Hicks12]

I enjoy using windows 8 and there are only a few real flaws with it that I have mentioned many times . Its good that MS gamble is paying off atm, it really is a strike of innovation which makes Apple look like a stagnent company.

Had the oppotunity to test out a Sony ultrabook with Windows 8 for a few hours and I must say I was REALLY impressed in how everything works, on a desktop everything works ok or better but on a touchscreen it really does fly, love how swiping from off the screen brings up the charms menu etc its nice that you can use the border for this aswell and its a damn fast system, wouldnt like to think how much that sony would cost though...

Cant wait to get my Leap device next year as that will allow me to get the benefits of everything .

[dangel]

Well for me

I think it's more of a case that the argument is that 7 is better or perfectly adequate and so why spend anything at all on 8? Obviously that wasn't true in your own case though.

As for upgrades - what you did was far beyond the average joe. That said, I have done an in-place upgrade at a neighbours house and was amazed at how well it worked and how little time it took (I'm pathologically against anything other than clean install normally).

[ScoTTisH-GingeR]

If Microsoft treated the OS like games with DLC content i would upgrade i want to cherry pick the windows components i want to use and i don't want to use metro as i don't have a touch screen and i like the start menu. If Microsoft gave people the option of 3 standard builds of windows and then start from the one you want and then pick the parts you want from the Microsoft store id finally get a PC without Internet explorer, DVD maker, Fax and Scan, Media Center, XPS Viewer, PowerShell, etc, etc, bloody etc.

Just imagine a streamlined Windows OS with just exactly what we want hint hint Windows 9.

[3930k]

HATERS GONNA HATE!

Win 8 is awesome!

/HATERS GONNA HATE!

[dangel]

If Microsoft treated the OS like games with DLC content i would upgrade i want to cherry pick the windows components i want to use and i don't want to use metro as i don't have a touch screen and i like the start menu. If Microsoft gave people the option of 3 standard builds of windows and then start from the one you want and then pick the parts you want from the Microsoft store id finally get a PC without Internet explorer, DVD maker, Fax and Scan, Media Center, XPS Viewer, PowerShell, etc, etc, bloody etc.

And promptly complain that they'd taken all that stuff out when XYZ didn't work.

It's never that simple - they're trying to cover the needs of millions of people and at best they can look for a common ground whilst pushing their own agenda(s) of a common platform. 8 undoubtedly could be brilliantly tailored to me but I'm pretty sure my list of choices would cause you some consternation. To a degree Windows has got more modular and you can remove some bits of it (the normal install doesn't include everything anyway) but I'm always slightly perplexed as to what people mean by slimmer - are you looking to save hard drive space or memory? If it's the former then I'd argue it's 2012 - non issue - if it's the latter then Windows has been componentised for a long time now and it only loads what's needed when required - non issue. In fact, if there's one positive with 8 it is the fact that it's 'slimmer' in that they did an awful lot of work speeding things up and actively reducing memory footprint.

[addz17]

Perfect for those that want their computer to be more like a phone....lol I don't really want massive tiles all round my screen anyway, call me old fashioned but i'll stick to my perfectly serviceable icons and a background of my choice till windows sorts itself out or DX12 makes an appearance.