Half a billion people to use Windows 8 next year -- Ballmer

Analysts expect Windows 8 to flop and PC sales to suffer, but Microsoft's chief executive thinks sales will reach at least 500 million by the end of 2013.

Read more at:
Half a billion people to use Windows 8 next year -- Ballmer | Business Tech - CNET News


UPDATE:
No, half a billion people won't be using Windows 8 next year

 

[z3r010]

Unless he's planning to give it away it just gives more weight to my theory that Apple are drugging Microsoft's water supply.

 

[jimbo45]

Analysts expect Windows 8 to flop and PC sales to suffer, but Microsoft's chief executive thinks sales will reach at least 500 million by the end of 2013.

Read more at:
Half a billion people to use Windows 8 next year -- Ballmer | Business Tech - CNET News

Hi there.

PLEEEASE no more stats from "Gartners" -- that agency's predictions are only ever about 50% right (or wrong) depending on your viewpoint == about the same as you'd get by random guessing.

It's like some of these rubbish credit reference agencies trying to rate Mr Abromovitch's suitability for credit -- the multi-billionaire who owns Chelsea FC -- the London Soccer club that's just won the European Champions League.

He probably on conventional scoring (Experian / Equifax etc.) would be refused a simple credit card even though he could BUY these entire agencies for cash many times over and shut them down !!!!.

Gartners are the MOST unreliable "Official" source of future predictions on this planet.

I read the link but as soon as I saw Gartners name I stopped reading -- as anything further is just a load of random guessing.

I'll stick my neck out here -- unlike Gartners I reckon W8 WILL be a success -- and when (not if) it is please pay ME the money and NOT GARTNERS. !!!!

Cheers
jimbo

 

[z3r010]

I think there's more chance of Greece producing a balanced budge for 2012 than Windows 8 being a hit

 

[jimbo45]

I think there's more chance of Greece producing a balanced budge for 2012 than Windows 8 being a hit

Hi there
actually after a little bit of demoing it to "sceptics" they quite like it -- so I'm not that sceptical about its success.
Obviously we'll have to wait and see but looking at MS's share price and the analysts expectations on future profits and earnings the outlook isn't that bad.

Enc graph of MSFT -- OK large drop on one day --but the whole market tanked then -- fears over the Euro zone crisis-- MSFT isn't exposed to Greece in any large way at all so the selling was grossly overdone.

Cheers
jimbo

 

[Coke Robot]

That's a big statement, but then again, this is Steve Ballmer we're talking about...

 

[56kevins]

It all depends on how much they're going to charge for it. Anybody heard anything about the price yet?

 

[echrada]

I think if he wants sales of 500 million it is going to have to be no more than a tenner.

 

[SIW2]

They may have been aiming for a low price - it seems the o/s will be very stripped down - worse than 7 starter in many ways.

 

[GMan]

They may have been aiming for a low price - it seems the o/s will be very stripped down - worse than 7 starter in many ways.

My father's Acer netbook with Atom came with 7 Starter. I used it the first day and was like:

lol needless to say, I had to fix that rather quickly. He wouldn't have known the difference though.

As you say though, perhaps they are going to offer 8 at a lower than usual price to entice the use of Store.

 

[BillWindows]

I just hope the 500 million havent got access to this website or we might as well kiss Microsoft goodbey now.

 

[Calico]

Says the worst rated CEO of a large, publicly traded American company today

 

[BillWindows]

Says the worst rated CEO of a large, publicly traded American company today

Like I said, I hope the 500 million dont look at this site.

 

[Trucidation]

As it stands the change is nowhere near compelling enough as the jump from XP to Vista/7; 500 mil in a year is going waaay beyond optimistic right into wishful thinking.

 

[lehnerus2000]

Is that 500 million W8 sales, on top of the 350 million copies of Windows 7 that MS claim they are going to sell this year?

Everyone in the World is going to be running W7 and/or W8 on their PC (and related devices)?

I find that claim as credible, as the blogger who claimed 5 billion people use email.

 

[djshonrock]

500 mil customers must've sounded very exciting for Microsoft.. but when is Microsoft gonna release the beta version of windows 8? the world is waiting for the beta version.. there was over 500,000 downloads of win DP by the first 12 hours of its release.. so hw much is it gonna be when its beta comes out?

 

[Trucidation]

I find that claim as credible, as the blogger who claimed 5 billion people use email.

I can believe email-harvesting bots have discovered 5 billion addresses though, perhaps that is the metric they were measuring.

 

[lehnerus2000]

I find that claim as credible, as the blogger who claimed 5 billion people use email.

I can believe email-harvesting bots have discovered 5 billion addresses though, perhaps that is the metric they were measuring.

That guy was claiming that 5 billion people use email (on Smart Phones, Laptops and Tablets).
I have "no idea" where he pulled that number from.

 

[Vertex]

Says the worst rated CEO of a large, publicly traded American company today

Like I said, I hope the 500 million dont look at this site.

I sure hope that M$ and Balmer himself should look at this site.

 

[rjm713]

Unless there is a way to do away with Metro I'll be staying with 7.