40 million Windows 8 licenses were sold by Microsoft within the operating system's first month of availability, according to the head of Microsoft's Windows Division Tami Reller.
In contrast, Windows 7 sold over 60 million Windows 7 licenses in the first two months of its launch. Next Web reports that calculations of day-to-day sales show a 45.8 percent higher adoption rate for Windows 8 than its predecessor.
While the first set of numbers are in, we will have to wait on further statistics to fairly compare the adoption rates of Windows 7 and 8.
Microsoft's introduction of a new tiled user interface (UI) is tailored for touch screen interfaces and poised to take on iOS 6 and Android in the ever-growing mobile market. Windows 8 is a ground-up reimagining of Microsoft's legacy operating systems and will surely give pause to some consumers who are unwilling to relearn UI navigation on their personal computers, laptops, and tablets. Microsoft CEO Steve Balmer asserts, "Windows 8 shatters perceptions of what a PC now really is. We've truly reimagined Windows, and kicked off a new era for Microsoft, and a new era for our partners."
Windows President Steve Sinofsky touts, "With Windows 8, we're introducing a new way for developers to build apps that are touch enabled, connected, and mobile."
Windows 8 reviews have been overall positive, but critics have had a mixed reception to the tablet-centric interface's utility on desktop computers.
Check back with Latinos Post, as Microsoft will soon release its quarterly earnings and grant us a clearer picture of Windows 8's performance.