14 DAY TRIAL // Sources familiar with the matter have already hinted that Steve Ballmer and the other Microsoft executives are more or less disappointed with initial sales of the Windows 8 operating system, but new reports coming from Australia confirm the product’s slow start.
IDC market analyst Amy Cheah spoke to several local retailers and revealed that early sales figures were somewhat disappointing, but she emphasized that November was very likely to bring higher sales numbers.
Cheah confirmed that Windows 8’s debut was “not as strong as Microsoft would like it to be” and hinted that “actual sales to date is not matching the hype, but the momentum is picking up in November.”
Some Microsoft officials, on the other hand, suggest that sales are going exactly as planned, so the company has nothing to worry about.
What’s more, the PC market is expected to record a significant recovery in 2013, so Windows 8 sales are very likely to grow even more, as consumers purchase more Windows 8 devices.
“The response has been tremendous. Our CEO Steve Ballmer had earlier announced that in the first four days after the launch, we had seen about 4 million downloads globally. It is obviously a much faster adoption when compared with earlier generations of Windows. We are seeing footfalls in malls and store,” Bhaskar Pramanik, the chairman of Microsoft India, said a few days ago.
Opinions are still mixed on whether Windows 8 is worth an upgrade or not, as some users believe the lack of a Start button and the other GUI changes aren’t helpful at all.
In addition, many analysts have previously pointed out that most consumers prefer to stick to Windows 7, as the new modern GUI could require additional training and plenty of time to get used to it.