BUILD 2012: Windows 8 off to roaring start...

[Dot Matrix]

Steve Ballmer has just taken the stage at Build, and immediately announced that Windows 8 has sold 4 million upgrades since launch.

Developing...

[grik]

Nice to see a shift in MS approach. Even pirated copies of Windows7 can be upgraded for 40$ (iv tested myself) and you get a very own brand new Windows 8 Pro key. Its a fair price for common home Windows users, finally a realistic price for an upgrade.

FACT: Most people will buy Windows for the first time with this new realistic philosophy, its fantastic to see this new Microsoft rising again for the battle.

Let me be clear that i didnt buy Windows8 for the extra features because personlly i dont see that it does bring anything better than Windows7 but just in case its a cheap and clean upgrade.

[vcfan]

windows 7 sold 100 million copies total in 6 months

windows 8 sold 4 million upgrades only in 4 days.

LOL at the delusional people who kept saying nobody wants windows 8.

Death to the desktop. Go Metro

[xWhiplash]

windows 7 sold 100 million copies total in 6 months

windows 8 sold 4 million upgrades only in 4 days.

LOL at the delusional people who kept saying nobody wants windows 8.

Death to the desktop. Go Metro

I like Windows 8 even though I have a major complaint with it, but the desktop will never die out. People like myself will always need that level of functionality to do our jobs.

I feel like most of the 4 million is because of the pricing. I know people would have loved Windows 7 because they used it, but did not want to spend what it costs.

[siah1214]

Doing 25% better than Mountain Lion:

http://chillopedia.com/technology/mountain-lion-sets-new-sales-record-for-os-x/

We'll see how wide the gap gets after a month :) Love this. Suck it, Apple.

[McKay]

Death to the desktop. Go Metro

Why can't both co-exist? I've used it since the Consumer Preview and I spend 90% of my time in the desktop.

[threetonesun]

Doing 25% better than Mountain Lion:

http://chillopedia.c...ecord-for-os-x/

We'll see how wide the gap gets after a month :) Love this. Suck it, Apple.

Me thinks there's a few more PCs than Macs out there.

[ViperAFK]

Nice to see a shift in MS approach. Even pirated copies of Windows7 can be upgraded for 40$ (iv tested myself) and you get a very own brand new Windows 8 Pro key. Its a fair price for common home Windows users, finally a realistic price for an upgrade.

FACT: Most people will buy Windows for the first time with this new realistic philosophy, its fantastic to see this new Microsoft rising again for the battle.

Let me be clear that i didnt buy Windows8 for the extra features because personlly i dont see that it does bring anything better than Windows7 but just in case its a cheap and clean upgrade.

Yeah its a good price. I wasn't even considering upgrading to win8 at first, but when I saw how cheap it was I was like "well, why not?"

windows 7 sold 100 million copies total in 6 months

windows 8 sold 4 million upgrades only in 4 days.

LOL at the delusional people who kept saying nobody wants windows 8.

Death to the desktop. Go Metro

lol... most of the current metro apps are so basic they are practically useless for desktop users. The classic desktop will be here for quite some time. The metro start screen works well enough as a start menu replacement, but using only metro on the desktop? Not even close to that yet.

[AJerman]

Doing 25% better than Mountain Lion:

http://chillopedia.c...ecord-for-os-x/

We'll see how wide the gap gets after a month :) Love this. Suck it, Apple.

Considering OS X only has 20% of the users of Windows 7 alone, you'd could argue that Apple is doing far better.

[Scorbing]

I bought 2 licence keys. I have it on my laptop. I wasn't too happy with it because Metro is not too user friendly, but then I got Start8 and I got my Start Menu back so I'm pretty happy at the moment. The OS seems to adapt to your use and therefore responds a bit faster the more you use it.

It boots and shuts down waaaay faster than 7, especially on the SSD drive I got on my laptop.

Yeah its a good price. I wasn't even considering upgrading to win8 at first, but when I saw how cheap it was I was like "well, why not?"

lol... most of the current metro apps are so basic they are practically useless for desktop users. The classic desktop will be here for quite some time. The metro start screen works well enough as a start menu replacement, but using only metro on the desktop? Not even close to that yet.

I agree with you. Metro is 100% useless on a desktop enviornment. Thank God for Stardock's Start8.

[xWhiplash]

I agree with you. Metro is 100% useless on a desktop enviornment. Thank God for Stardock's Start8.

Which is my massive complaint with Windows 8. Microsoft should have made their own version of Start 8 and bundled it with the OS to keep EVERYBODY happy.

[Brandon H Supervisor]

Which is my massive complaint with Windows 8. Microsoft should have made their own version of Start 8 and bundled it with the OS to keep EVERYBODY happy.

why should microsoft HAVE to leave in so many redundant options? that's the whole point of allowing 3rd party modifications

they had just got rid of start menu redundancy with windows 7 why would they bring it back with windows 8?

[xWhiplash]

why should microsoft HAVE to leave in so many redundant options? that's the whole point of allowing 3rd party modifications

they had just got rid of start menu redundancy with windows 7 why would they bring it back with windows 8?

I do not understand what you mean. Windows 7 had the start menu, didn't it?

So it is okay for Microsoft to give us what some people here call "legacy" desktop mode, but without the "legacy" start menu? How is it a redundant option? You click the Desktop tile, it gives you the desktop start menu. I do not see how that is redundant.

[Brandon H Supervisor]

I do not understand what you mean. Windows 7 had the start menu, didn't it?

yes it did, but 7 didn't have the redundant "classic" start menu that was still present in XP and Vista. that's what i'm sayin

[AJerman]

yes it did, but 7 didn't have the redundant "classic" start menu that was still present in XP and Vista. that's what i'm sayin

You might say this is because the new style start menu was tested and very well received for two versions prior to removing. Unlike Windows 8 which just throws everything out the door and forces the new UI on you without option.

[Brandon H Supervisor]

You might say this is because the new style start menu was tested and very well received for two versions prior to removing. Unlike Windows 8 which just throws everything out the door and forces the new UI on you without option.

but you do have option, several to be precise. they may not come directly from Microsoft but they are still there none the less

[Scorbing]

yes it did, but 7 didn't have the redundant "classic" start menu that was still present in XP and Vista. that's what i'm sayin

The point is Microsoft should have left the Start button there and give us, the users, the option to use it or not, not just remove it because they feel we don't want it or need it anymore. That is typical Apple attitude and very disrespectful to the user. We should always have options. Like the option to boot on either Metro or classic desktop. That too is not an option unless you install Start8 and I think that is ridiculous of Microsoft not to allow us to choose what interface we want to boot Windows with. Not cool.

Metro is a great interface for tablets, but not for a desktop and the Start button should have never been removed.,

[Brandon H Supervisor]

The point is Microsoft should have left the Start button there and give us, the users, the option to use it or not, not just remove it because they feel we don't want it or need it anymore. That is typical Apple attitude and very disrespectful to the user. We should always have options. Like the option to boot on either Metro or classic desktop. That too is not an option unless you install Start8 and I think that is ridiculous of Microsoft not to allow us to choose what interface we want to boot Windows with. Not cool.

Metro is a great interface for tablets, but not for a desktop and the Start button should have never been removed.,

what are you talking about, the start button wasn't removed, it just doesn't appear till you move your mouse to the bottom left corner

seriously, all this whining about a "button", that in essence wasn't truly removed

[Boz]

Wait till you see how these numbers change when people start asking for their money back and reverting back to Windows 7.

Most people don't have a clue what Windows 8 is like. So they upgraded because it was cheap. Boasting about $30-$40 upgrade and how you sold 4 million copies of the whole new operating system is pretty sad to be honest.

For that money, Microsoft Windows users who upgrade should be a couple of times higher number than that considering their marketshare.

[CentralDogma]

Wait till you see how these numbers change when people start asking for their money back and reverting back to Windows 7.

Most people don't have a clue what Windows 8 is like. So they upgraded because it was cheap. Boasting about $30-$40 upgrade and how you sold 4 million copies of the whole new operating system is pretty sad to be honest.

For that money, Microsoft Windows users who upgrade should be a couple of times higher number than that considering their marketshare.

The people buying the $40 downloads are going to be tech literate. They know what their getting into.

Worry about the people buying boxed retail or that are getting it bundled with a new PC.

[Boo Berry]

I must be one of the only people that isn't bothered by the Metro stuff on a desktop.

[Scorbing]

what are you talking about, the start button wasn't removed, it just doesn't appear till you move your mouse to the bottom left corner

seriously, all this whining about a "button", that in essence wasn't truly removed

You must be blind then if you can't see that the Start Button and the Start Menu on the classic desktop is no longer there.

[+Ryster Subscriber²]

You must be blind then if you can't see that the Start Button and the Start Menu on the classic desktop is no longer there.

Sorry sir, but it is you who is blind. The start button is there, it's just hidden until you move your mouse into the corner... you know just like you did on Windows 7. The start menu is also there, it's just had a radical overhaul. Everything that most people used the old start menu for is replicated on the new start screen. Launching pinned apps, picking apps from an app list, searching for and launching apps, accessing control panel (settings), etc. Anything more technically literate people used to use it for can now be found in other ways. Win key + X for example.

At the end of the day, this is Microsoft's product. Buy it or don't, it's up to you.

[spudtrooper]

Wait till you see how these numbers change when people start asking for their money back and reverting back to Windows 7.

Most people don't have a clue what Windows 8 is like. So they upgraded because it was cheap. Boasting about $30-$40 upgrade and how you sold 4 million copies of the whole new operating system is pretty sad to be honest.

For that money, Microsoft Windows users who upgrade should be a couple of times higher number than that considering their marketshare.

Do you honestly believe what you're saying? It's sounding a bit delusional if you ask me..

[Scorbing]

Sorry sir, but it is you who is blind. The start button is there, it's just hidden until you move your mouse into the corner... you know just like you did on Windows 7. The start menu is also there, it's just had a radical overhaul. Everything that most people used the old start menu for is replicated on the new start screen. Launching pinned apps, picking apps from an app list, searching for and launching apps, accessing control panel (settings), etc. Anything more technically literate people used to use it for can now be found in other ways. Win key + X for example.

At the end of the day, this is Microsoft's product. Buy it or don't, it's up to you.

The button you are referring to is NOT the Start Button people are used to and, sir, there is NO start button on the classic desktop. The button you are referring to as the Start button, when clicked from the classic desktop, takes you to that ridiculous Metro UI.