Windows 8: forget 100m licences 'sold', here's how many

Of course, Microsoft isn't going to want to say how many machines are using Windows 8 if the figure isn't encouraging.

...as a proportion of PCs sold in the period since Windows 8 launched - those past two quarters - it's quite small: out of 161.5m PCs shipped since September, only a third are actually running Windows 8.

...the per-day addition rate of Windows 8 installations has slowed even since the beginning of the year

Read more at:

Windows 8: forget 100m licences 'sold', here's how many PCs are running it | Technology | guardian.co.uk

 

[AMenard]

New OS, new GUI scheme, most of the software around is still designed for the previous version in mind. Same thing happened with Mac OS X and even with Windows 95 and XP. It's a matter of knowing if MS has the balls and the mean to stay the course like they did for 9x and XP.

 

[alphanumeric]

Read that the other day. You can try to tell (some) people that "licences sold" doesn't equate to real world usage until you are "BLUE" in the face and they won't listen. I'm not surprised Microsoft likes to use that term instead of actually admitting that sales aren't what they had hoped they would be. It's slowly making headway, just not as fast as Microsoft would have liked.

 

[SIW2]

Depends what you mean by headway. It is guaranteed by the fact there is nothing else available to the average Joe.

It is not going well - the rate is dropping every day.

 

[AMenard]

Depends what you mean by headway. It is guaranteed by the fact there is nothing else available to the average Joe.

It is not going well - the rate is dropping every day.

The PC market is shrinking. You have to take this into account also. People with casual needs buy a tablet these days. Younger generations also spend most of their time on their smartphones instead of in front of a computer. So this leaves the "Pro" gamer, the enterprise (including engineering and R&D) and the power users.

Unless something changes or comes along I don't see the casual users or the teens coming back in drove to the PC market soon. This isn't just a botch release problem on the part of Microsoft.

 

[SIW2]

You have to take this into account also.

The problem MS have is they are repelling even some of those who would have bought a pc.

That is why they say they are making changes to make it less unpalatable.

I am not convinced they will - we shall see.

I expect they will hope for less bad reviews - due to some changes in metro - ok for those who want metro - useless for those who don't.

Lower priced better positioned devices - particularly the rt stuff, will probably help.

No idea what they are going to do for those who don't want metro stuff in their face. Perhaps just a bit of lip service, and hope they will be able to force it through.

 

[XweAponX]

This confirms exactly what I said, about the rows and rows of Unsold PCs on the shelves, AND, the users who DID downgrade to 7.

It irks me, that this guy who spouted 100 MILLION - Has had Mitt Romoney as a teacher in how to lie to the public, how to twist facts to try to SELL something "Look, it's not so bad - 100 Million Copies have been sold!"

This is is no wise the same as the Golden Arches, which state "Over 200 Billion Customers Served" - Does that include those who got pTomaine from pTomain Row? Or how many people have Violently Ejected stomach contents after scarfing one down? No - It means, they keep TRACK of how many people are actually DOING something.

So, we KNOW that over 40 Million user used eVasi0n to Jailbreak in the first 4 days of that Jailbreak - We know cos they kept TRACK of it's use - And though Device Identification, they KNEW that of those 40 Million, 20 Million were UNIQUE users.

Even Apple identifies how many people have actually installed iOS 6.1.4.

So, does Microsoft also have this data on hand? Why do they need to use the SAME LIE they used to try to convince us Vista was not total Poop? Except in the case of Vista, it WAS poop. Now, we like Windows 8 in here, I love certaion aspects of it, but... The General SPENDING Public, thats what counts.

And isn't there some kind of "Truth in Advertising law?"

 

[alphanumeric]

Depends what you mean by headway. It is guaranteed by the fact there is nothing else available to the average Joe.

It is not going well - the rate is dropping every day.

I was being kind. It's being sold with new PC's but sales are down for those as well. Some are also switching those new PCs to Windows 7. Those that like it like it a lot it would seem. There seem to a fair share of H8ers too. I'm indifferent to it. I don't mind using it but there is no wow factor in it for me. I'm only using it on my laptop, it might be different if I had a tablet with a touch screen. My biggest beef with 8 would be the one screen only full screen only Modern UI restriction. What's modern in that?

 

[SIW2]

Very funny comment from cjmorris on that link:

Using website visit stats is a bit unfair as it will underbake W8 share - I upgraded to W8 6 months ago, it's so awful I've not used my laptop for approx 5 months.
Can't imagine I'm the only one, so this should bump the numbers up a bit

 

[Coke Robot]

Good to see some ACTUAL usage data over licenses sold. Still, about 10 million or so a month to almost 60 million users in six months for a new Windows version that is very different from the previous and radically different from other platforms? That seems much more decent considering the newness of the OS. But comparing it to android, that's not terribly a great comparison since android tablets have been around longer than Windows 8 tablet PCs. android is still going to outsell Windows, that's just the way it is. It outsells ios, but more people pin for an ios device than an android one....

So at this pace, by Windows Blue, there could be about 12 million users on 8. Marketshare of Windows Phone 8 will have doubled again in the US and continue to prosper globally. Microsoft will keep releasing updates for it and tweaking the platforms.

All doom and gloom? Nope.

Some people just need a kick in the pants and some sun.

 

[XweAponX]

So at this pace, by Windows Blue, there could be about 12 million users on 8. Marketshare of Windows Phone 8 will have doubled again in the US and continue to prosper globally. Microsoft will keep releasing updates for it and tweaking the platforms.

That sounds a lot more realistic. It is not being TOTALLY panned by those consoomers I was talking aboot. I have been trying to get people to BUY it! (So I can sell some excess licenses hahaha).

I used to be part of the old "System Builder" Program - This has been totally buried by "The OEMS - And when I hear Coky refer to OEMS I hear the same tacit vitriol as to when I refer to "The Constipations - Er, I mean "The Corporations" heh.

I hate them cos they put me oudda bidness! Before there werre hundreds of OEMs, *I* was the guy people called to make them a PC that was to their needs. In the late 2000's - Suddenly they cold buy brand new PCs for around 300 bux! Some of them even from DELL which is the Cadillac of OEMz.

That put a huge dent in my income, that's why I began my System Repair and Restore Bidniss.

MS needs to re-design the way they give their licences to OEMs for System Building- IN other words, MS needs to swallow the cost of the licences, the OEM should not have to BUY the licences, MS should give them - OR at least set them up so that OEM licences are not counted the same way Consumer Purchasing is handled.


Oh Wowie I have a Member Badge! Just noticed that hahaha. Now I can post Articles form Huffington Post and The Onion in here!

 

[Coke Robot]

So at this pace, by Windows Blue, there could be about 12 million users on 8. Marketshare of Windows Phone 8 will have doubled again in the US and continue to prosper globally. Microsoft will keep releasing updates for it and tweaking the platforms.

That sounds a lot more realistic. It is not being TOTALLY panned by those consoomers I was talking aboot. I have been trying to get people to BUY it! (So I can sell some excess licenses hahaha).

I used to be part of the old "System Builder" Program - This has been totally buried by "The OEMS - And when I hear Coky refer to OEMS I hear the same tacit vitriol as to when I refer to "The Constipations - Er, I mean "The Corporations" heh.

I hate them cos they put me oudda bidness! Before there werre hundreds of OEMs, *I* was the guy people called to make them a PC that was to their needs. In the late 2000's - Suddenly they cold buy brand new PCs for around 300 bux! Some of them even from DELL which is the Cadillac of OEMz.

That put a huge dent in my income, that's why I began my System Repair and Restore Bidniss.

MS needs to re-design the way they give their licences to OEMs for System Building- IN other words, MS needs to swallow the cost of the licences, the OEM should not have to BUY the licences, MS should give them - OR at least set them up so that OEM licences are not counted the same way Consumer Purchasing is handled.


Oh Wowie I have a Member Badge! Just noticed that hahaha. Now I can post Articles form Huffington Post and The Onion in here!

And those same OEMs are the ones taking the hit now. Karma. Dell is going private and to focus more exclusively on the enterprise like IBM has. HP is just more of a copy cat apple PC maker. They need to stop doing that. Some OEMs like Acer that started from crap are actually really decent now.

I've kind of postulated in making myself an OEM PC maker... Building proper touch AIO PCs with PROPER ATX based desktop hardware, proper tablet PCs with options and easy repairing, and proper Windows Phones with microSD card storage!! UGH! That's such a piddle off for me that some handset builders put in dual SIM card slots, NO microSD storage and limited to 32 gigs! Wow.

But I do agree, they need to change their licensing model a bit, because it seems that adds slightly more cost for some OEMs that have Windows RT tablets based off android tablets for example.

It already sounds like reporting from The Onion has inundated the News thread!

 

[vrosa]

So, does Microsoft also have this data on hand? Why do they need to use the SAME LIE they used to try to convince us Vista was not total Poop? Except in the case of Vista, it WAS poop. Now, we like Windows 8 in here, I love certaion aspects of it, but... The General SPENDING Public, thats what counts.

Yes, and the general public generally avoids controversial things... but I confess that I didn't expect things going so bad for MS 8 months after RTM release...

:huh:

 

[SIW2]

When I saw rtm - I knew they would be in for a tough time.

MS had not done anything to address the feedback they received previously.

 

[SIW2]

I was in John Lewis this eve and a guy came in needing a laptop.

He had to buy a win 8 machine - there is nothing else.

I asked if he had considered a Mac - yes, but they are too expensive. If Joe Public doesn't have $1300 - he has to get something with 8 on it.

In that situation, sales of 10m a mth (half win7 rate ) and dropping, is pretty bad.

Can you imagine what would happen if there was meaningful competition out there.