Microsoft sells 40 million Windows 8 copies a month after launch

Despite mixed reviews and rumored slow start, Microsoft claims to have sold 40 million copies of Windows 8 merely a month after it was made available for purchase.

If you’re one of those tried-and-true Windows XP or Windows 7 users who has a strong dislike for Windows 8 and its controversial Metro UI, we’ve got some news for you. You’ll be seeing the OS on more and more computers in the near future. In a blog post written Tuesday by Microsoft’s Brandon LeBlanc, the company announced that since its October 26 launch, 40 million Windows 8 licenses have been sold to date.

This revelation comes after a number of reports of Windows 8 being off to a slow start, and that Microsoft is failing to reach its target sales numbers. Those reports weren’t difficult to believe either, as opinions about the system’s new user interface have been divided even prior to release due to Windows 8′ layout, which is more suited for mobile devices than computers. Moreover, many Windows 7 users are actually fond of – and prefer – their current systems. 

Microsoft selling 40 million licenses within four weeks means Windows 8 has sold as well as Windows 7 did when it was first launched. The much-loved (much, much more than Windows Vista, at least) Windows 7, which became the fastest-selling operating system upon release, also hit the 40 million mark within its first month. According to PCWorld, Microsoft Chief Marketing Officer for Windows, Tami Reller, called Windows 8 the company’s biggest project since Windows 95, and said that “Windows 8 is shaping up as one of the company’s most successful products.”

Still, that doesn’t mean there are 40 million people out there using Windows 8. According to Reuters, most of the sales came from PC manufacturers whose computers will ship preloaded with the new operating system, and many of these computers have yet to be bought. Research firm StatCounter puts the actual number of Windows 8 users to roughly 15 million or around 1 percent of the 1.5 billion PC users around the globe. While Microsoft didn’t detail where the 40 million sales came from, Reller – as well as LeBlanc, as evidenced by the blog post announcement – suggests that aside from sales that came from computer manufacturers, the company’s also raking in numbers by way of Windows 8′s relatively inexpensive $40 upgrade option.