video transcript

The daily digit today is 40 million. 40-million Windows 8 licenses to be exact. Microsoft hinted the new operating system, in the month since the launch, is selling faster than the launch of Windows 7 three-years ago. But the truth is, the sales number represents a solid but unspectacular start for the touch-friendly operating system, which costs 40 bucks for an upgrade, $70 for the full software package, or hundreds of dollars when you throw in a new touch-friendly PC to maximize the software. The 40-million figure does not mean that 40 million users have adopted Windows 8. Many of the sales are to PC manufacturers, who in turn sell a large number of machines to companies, very few of which are yet using Windows 8. Microsoft launched Windows 8 to combat the domination of Apple and Google in the world of mobile computing, as consumers prefer iPads, other tablets and smartphones instead of PCs.