14 DAY TRIAL // Although Microsoft has officially revealed that it had sold a total of 40 million Windows 8 copies in just one month, we’re yet to receive more accurate details on the overall sales performance of the latest Microsoft operating system.
PC builder Puget Systems claims that Windows 8 records a low but steady adoption in its sales stats, with more users actually choosing Windows 7 over the company’s new software.
“Windows 8 arrives to a PC market of mostly satisfied Windows 7 customers. The conditions under which Windows 7 arrived differed as many Windows XP users had held off moving to Windows Vista due to lackluster reviews and various hardware compatibility issues,” Brett Nordquist of Puget Systems said.
“Although most were resolved, many users held off buying a new PC until Windows 7 became available. That pent up demand manifested itself in people lining up to buy Windows 7 the day it was released.”
One of the possible reasons for Windows 8’s slow debut is also the lack of a Start menu, Nordquist explained, as some consumers are afraid that they won’t be able to get used to the new operating system.
Microsoft, on the other hand, isn’t planning to bring back the Start button and expects the Start Screen to become more popular as the Windows 8 adoption rate grows.
“The removal of the START menu is a deal breaker for many. Some have taken a ‘wait for Service Pack 1’ approach while others plan to stick with Windows 7 even when purchasing a new PC,” he said.
But the truth is that Windows 8 is much faster and more stable than its predecessor, Nordquist acknowledged, which should basically turn it into the number one choice for newer buyers.
The company still offers Windows 7 alongside Windows 8, and many customers still seem convinced they should choose the first one.
“Windows 8 boots and shuts down faster than Windows 7. Windows 8 performs much like Windows 7. But it’s still very early to predict how sales will transpire over the next few months,” the Puget Systems official concluded.