Microsoft head honcho Bill Gates said that an accelerating consumer shift to digital lifestyles had helped make the operating system the fastest selling in history, and the more expensive premium edition accounted for nearly 78% of Vista sales. Introduced in Jan 30, Microsoft has managed to sell an astounding 40 million licenses or about 400,000 licenses a day. At this rate new Vista users will take around –
8 weeks to beat Mac users
3 days to exceed Linux desktop users
4 days to exceed Mac sales
Microsoft has also lined up its next generation server software formerly known as “Longhorn” — Windows Server 2008 for debut in the second half of 2007. I wonder how many licenses were sold in China.
29 responses to “Windows Vista sells 40 million licenses in 100 days the fastest in history”
How many of the ones that bought and installed reinstalled their older version?
I count 4 in my office.
vista sucks !
I wish I could re-install an old version. I am stuck with me-2, crippled software
I count 0 in my office. Earlier today, I asked one of my colleagues that very same question. The reply was 0.
But then again.. I work in an IT dept – Windows isn’t really that popular around here.
How many of those were licenses sold to manufacturers at an especially attractive price to make it appear that Vista is fabulously successful?
What I’d like to know is how many after-market installs of Vista are taking place? How many XP or ME or 98 users are switching over the Vista? I’ll bet that when that number leaks out it won’t be anywhere near 40 million.
my new laptop i bought a week ago came with vista and i am figuring out a way to install xp.
the correct number is 39.999.998 licenses.
in fat, the two preinstalled on my new Dell PC have been replaced by a W2K-based ghosted image
Of course, all those Vista licenses were sold to OEMs, not consumers. Microsoft loves to do that to inflate sales figures. They did the same for Windows XP in 2001.
How about Microsoft reveal the number of activated licenses for Vista? Oh, right, they won’t do that. Wonder why?
40million in 100 days is good?!?! Given the number of new computers sold in a year, this means that vista was sold ONLY on new computers. Very few bought this OS to upgrade.
This is the ultimate in spin-doctoring, taking a really bad sales number and turning it into something “amazing”.
This article is “Very funny”, have yourself a chuckle. 🙂
And how many of these are pre-installed on new machines, and sold to people that didn’t really have a choice in the matter. If Vista is all that good, why is Dell going back to offering XP as the operating system? There’s a number I’d like to see: when buying a new computer where you have a cost free choice, how many people voluntarily choose Vista.
bullshit!
I wonder how many licenses Mike Dell bought … before he decided to never load them on a single PC?
Most of the folks I know wont try it… wont work on their system… and the ones that did try it went back to their previous…
I switched over the Linux five years ago… never going back… ever.
cheers 🙂
Jimmie counts 39,999,996 in his office
Where do the figures come from? I have a Vista license but use Linux exclusively. Does it mean I am contributing to ‘new Vista users’ exceeding Linux desktop users?
@Mike
True that many of us have had to re-install Vista due to software compatibility and other issues, but with the passage of time things are taking a turn. Most vendors are releasing their vista compatible software and thus less issues.
And there is no denying that Vista is simply awesome! When i had to move back to my XP (problem with Interprise Suite on Vista – though now solved) it felt like the time when i moved back from XP to 98 for a few days. I am now running Vista with all the software that i need without any problems whatsoever… Visual Studio, Photoshop, Inteprise Suite, SQL Server, Dreamweaver, etc. etc.
Bet it will be hard for you to find out how many “copies” of Vista were provided under “site license” agreements…. (I bet a pretty big portion…)
I bet the DOD is counted even though several branches have ordered NOT to install Vista under any circumstances…
Note they said “sold” – not installed – Since they all have to be “activated” within first 90(??) days that they do not give an “installed” figure….
I bet the “installed” figure is nowhere close to the “sold” figure….
I bet warehouses full of machines with Vista on them that DELL can not sell are probably included too???????
Bet it will be hard for you to find out how many “copies” of Vista were provided under “site license” agreements…. (I bet a pretty big portion…)
I bet the DOD is counted even though several branches have ordered NOT to install Vista under any circumstances…
Note they said “sold” – not installed – Since they all have to be “activated” within first 90(??) days that they do not give an “installed” figure….
I bet the “installed” figure is nowhere close to the “sold” figure….
I bet warehouses full of machines with Vista on them that DELL can not sell are probably included too???????
Bet it will be hard for you to find out how many “copies” of Vista were provided under “site license” agreements…. (I bet a pretty big portion…)
I bet the DOD is counted even though several branches have ordered NOT to install Vista under any circumstances…
Note they said “sold” – not installed – Since they all have to be “activated” within first 90(??) days that they do not give an “installed” figure….
I bet the “installed” figure is nowhere close to the “sold” figure….
I bet warehouses full of machines with Vista on them that DELL can not sell are probably included too???????
These are proabably 99%+ Del, HP, Lenovo, etc
because they CANNOT buy XP anymore. It’s the OEM’s …skewed numbers, and this OShas been waiting 6 years for what you could argue are minor improvements or just more of a bloated , locked down. DRMed system.
Bet it will be hard for you to find out how many “copies” of Vista were provided under “site license” agreements…. (I bet a pretty big portion…)
I bet the DOD is counted even though several branches have ordered NOT to install Vista under any circumstances…
Note they said “sold” – not installed – Since they all have to be “activated” within first 90(??) days that they do not give an “installed” figure….
I bet the “installed” figure is nowhere close to the “sold” figure….
I bet warehouses full of machines with Vista on them that DELL can not sell are probably included too???????
Dont believe the hype.
That probably included automatic licenses for MSDN and ActionPack subscribers.
Vista is woeful – why else are distributors switching back to selling XP?
Bill go to hell with this crap !
We want unix clones
That’s not really impressive…at that rate it would still take them 41 years to distribute a copy to everyone on the planet.
The big slow down still has to hit home…there is a defined saturation point in this market.
Hmm. I bought four copies, two Ultimates and two Home Pros… on day 1. One of latter on a new laptop for my wife. I also run Ubuntu. Office 2007 is a big improvement and reason enough to use MS software. If you can’t afford it there are alternatives. However, the day Microsoft starts trying to enforce patents against Linux will be day I stop giving MS any money and will start switching as fast I can whether I like the software or not. And so far, Ubuntu isn’t remotely close to the fit and finish of Vista or even XP. However, it’s improving steadily and this is good for the world.
How many of these were pre-installed on new computers? How many people have actually gone out and bought the software? Not a realistic figure at all.
Salman — yes there is. I deny that vista has any redeeming features.
People in my office can’t get enough of vista. We have people on xp that are wanting to upgrade.
Vista rules!!
More Linux clones = More Stress
Also Linux might be free to public, it’s not free to companies. In fact it costs just as much for licensing fee as a Windows license would, open source lacks vision. It thinks it moving forward, even when the reality of it says otherwise. According wikipedia itself, hardware and game developers simply don’t see the market in handing over their shares to open source. Also if your one of those people running wine on Linux your pretty much braking the law, its violation of intellectual property rights emulating software under a foreign system.
@ bubba
According to wikipedia? I think you should double check who you consult for legal advice. IANAL but there is nothing illegal or copyright infringing with running an emulator for software. The copyright issue only arises if you possess a pirated version of the software. Microsoft itself is neutral on Wine and no one is braking [sic] the law by running Wine.
Vista as an OS is great for people who are either Microserf ideologues, don’t care about their own privacy or end user freedom, or don’t know any better but to buy a new computer with massive out of the box headaches.
The only reason out there to switch to Vista is if game designers produce must-have titles that can’t run on anything else. And that hasn’t happened yet. Mac and Linux/OSS productivity software is as good or better than anything MS produces. The only reason companies have not switched is that they loathe change and MS has the anti-trust division of the Justice Department in their pockets.
@ evil
1) “Vista is great only for people who don’t care about privacy” is a crap assertion without any logic basement. Vista is full of options where you can CHOOSE to send informations or not to. But this is not privacy violation , while you linux-user-whiners are flaming about something you don’t really know at all. Most of people talk about Windows Vista and they din’t even try it (LOL?) or spreading informartions given by someone else … and that’s ridicolous. If you want to violate private informations you DO NOT fill windows with warnings to the user (asking about sending or not sending those informations you ipotetically want). When a common folk’s personal computer got broken, assistance will repair it, this is privacy violation too? Microsoft just ask you if you want to contribute in developing a better operative system … just that and NOTHING MORE. Nobody has proof about such a lame information such as “Microsoft spy us all the time”.
2) “Mac and Linux/OSS productivity software is as good or better than anything MS produces.”
WHAT???? What are you talking about ???
Have you an idea about how many people actually work on Windows development??? Omg ….
Mac is a serious product, i have to admit it.
BUT LINUX IS FULL OF BUG.
Everybody who uses it just can’t deny it’s poor hardware support, it’s lack of different software you can choose. Are you blind? Did you see the hundreds of topic about ubuntu/kubuntu 7.10 bugs? Sata disk damaged, installation bugs, incompatibility between packages and wrong dipendencies …
I use Linux, and i started 2 years ago. My assertions are based on hours spent on solving problems on the most crap os i ever seen. I have tried several distribution of Ubuntu/Kubuntu/Suse/Fedora and i think i have pretty global vision of the actual situation. The Linux support is ridicolous and had a broken monitor before realizing it (wront frequency set by Linux). So please STOP throwing crap shit on Vista, you silly ones.