14 DAY TRIAL // CEO Steve Ballmer and other high-profile Microsoft executives have often said that Windows 8 is selling like hot cakes, claiming that its performance is pretty much in line with the one of Windows 7 after launch.
Now Ballmer reportedly admitted in an internal meeting that Windows 8 “is not selling well enough,” pointing out that he continues to have high expectations from the new operating system in the coming months.
According to a report by Neowin, Ballmer has also explained that 8.1 is expected to perform much better, as it was specifically designed to address some consumer complaints, such as the lack of a Start button.
Microsoft hasn’t provided us with any updated figures on Windows 8’s sales performance, so the only official stats we have right now are the one revealed by Tami Reller, the company’s Chief Financial Officer, in May.
“We recently surpassed the 100 million licenses sold mark for Windows 8. This number includes Windows licenses that ship on a new tablet or PC, as well as upgrades to Windows 8. This is up from the 60 million license number we provided in January,” Reller said at that time.
“We’ve also seen the number of certified devices for Windows 8 and Windows RT grow to 2,400 devices, and we’re seeing more and more touch devices in the mix.”
And still, things aren’t going too well for the modern Windows 8. Figures provided by market researcher Net Applications for the month of June 2013 claim that Windows 8 currently holds a share of 5.10 percent.
