20 Million Vista Licenses Sold
Microsoft claims Windows Vista is off to a fast start, having sold more than 20 million copies since its January 30 consumer release. By comparison, in its first two months, Windows XP sold 17 million copies, Microsoft said. “We are encouraged to see such a positive consumer response to Windows Vista right out of the gate,” Corporate Vice President Bill Veghte said in a statement Monday.
“While it’s very early in the product lifecycle, we are setting a foundation for Windows Vista to become the fastest-adopted version of Windows ever.” However, Microsoft’s figures include not only boxed copy sales and those included on new PCs, but also people who bought Windows XP during the holiday season and have applied for their free Vista upgrade since the mainstream launch of Vista.
In an interview, Windows marketing director Bill Mannion said that the upgrade program did help the sales figures, but said it wasn’t the driving factor. “It’s boosting the overall number, but it’s certainly not the core component of the 20 million,” he said. PC makers also say they are encouraged by early results for Vista. “Overall we’ve seen a pretty good reaction to the release of Vista,” said Kenneth Walker, chief technologist at PC maker Gateway.
Both Microsoft and the PC makers also say they are seeing a shift to higher-end versions of Vista. When XP made its debut in 2001, it came in two main flavors–Home and Professional. The company eventually added the Tablet PC and Media Center editions, and over time, Media Center became the dominant version on retail shelves.
Tags: Windows, windows vista, windows xp
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