14 DAY TRIAL // Even though Microsoft claims it has sold 60 million Windows 8 copies in just two months after launch, analysts continue to suggest that the new operating system is yet to take off, pointing to the early sales performance of the very popular Windows 7.
According to several Microsoft executives, it could take some time before everybody gets used to Windows 8, especially because it brings such a big number of changes, so the new OS is very likely to increase its market share in the upcoming months.
Now Rob Epstein, Microsoft UK and Ireland's senior product director for Windows, told The Channel in an interview about the company’s efforts to improve its relation with retailers that Windows 8 wasn’t expected to skyrocket from the first days on the market anyway.
So it’s no surprise that Windows 8 is slowly attracting more users, he said.
“[The new OS was an] ambitious change and people have different levels of comfort with change, Windows 8 was never going to be explosive on its first weekend,” Epstein told the source.
Tami Reller, chief marketing officer and chief financial officer at Microsoft, said in a Q&A session that people were finally getting used to Windows 8, revealing some very interesting stats concerning the early adopters of the new OS.
“They get started with success. On the very first day, virtually everyone launches an app from the Start screen, finds the desktop, and finds the charms. Almost half of users go to the Windows Store on that first day,” she said.
The Start Screen, on the other hand, remains a very controversial feature and people are still turning to third-party solutions that can bring a Start button on their Windows 8 computer.
And still, Microsoft isn’t worried at all, claiming that it’s only a matter of time before everybody discovers the goodies offered by the Start Screen.