Windows 8 Hits 200 Million

By Stephen Pate – The Windows 8 naysayers will have to find a new dog to kick. Microsoft is selling Windows 8 at a very good rate for a transformational product.

At this point in its product life, Windows 7 sold 240 million licenses. Windows 8 sold 200 million. Not quite the end of the world for Microsoft is it?

Windows 8 is outselling its nearest rival Apple OS X 10.9 by a factor of 3:3 to 1. There are even more active licenses of the press-maligned Windows Vista than Mac OS X 10.9.

Desktop Computer Market Share by Operating System January 2014 (Chart by Netmarketshare)

We are moving from a mouse desktop world to a touch mobile world and Microsoft is leading the way on the desktop with Windows 8.  Is Windows 8 perfect? Not a chance. We still have to navigate the old Windows 7 desktop to get tasks accomplished. But what we have in touch with the Metro/Modern interface is a worthy start.

I use Windows 8 all day long, on my desktops, on tablets and on a Windows Phone. There are features I wish for but my job is easier with Windows 8 than Windows 7.  My personal wish is that the Windows 8 apps would become full featured enough to replace the Desktop Explorer, Windows Media Player and other legacy apps from Windows 7.

I shake my head and wonder at the tech writers who want Microsoft to return to Windows 7. Bring back the Start Button they bleat like sheep. Perhaps they are spies for Apple or Android, trying to slow down progress. Or perhaps they are stock speculators trying to short the Microsoft stock or just cranky people.

Here’s another myth to debunk. While nice, you don’t need a touch screen to work with Windows 8. Although I have 2 touch monitors, 90% of my work uses a mouse.

I follow Windows 8 as part of my job. The endless stream of “Windows 8 is doomed” stories gets tiresome.  So now we know the facts. Microsoft Windows 8 has 200 million people using it and things are moving along nicely.  Here is the official Microsoft statement.

“Windows 8 has surpassed 200 million licenses sold, and we continue to see momentum. This number includes Windows licenses that ship on a new tablet or PC, as well as upgrades to Windows 8. The figure does not include volume license sales to enterprise. Windows is a central part of life for more than 1.5 billion people around the world, and we are looking forward to the future.” (PC World)

This story will be spun a thousand ways by the tech press looking for an angle that will get readers to click on their story but the sky is not falling. We are moving forward with Windows 8.

Follow me on Twitter at @sdpate or on Facebook at NJN Network and OyeTimes.

By Stephen Pate, NJN Network