Windows 8 Sales Reach 100M Licenses
Windows 8 has been an enigma from the time of its release. Backed by probably the biggest marketing campaign ever for an operating system, Windows 8 has not managed to take the market by storm. Rather, its progress has been slow and gradual. Though Microsoft has tried its best to hype up every small achievement, the latest version of their operating system has received its fair share of criticism. Yet, there is one piece of news which will put a smile on the face of Windows proponents who have had to work very hard to defend their beloved OS.
On Monday, Microsoft announced Windows 8 had crossed the 100 million license mark. If you go by the criticism, the operating system has barely made a dent in the market yet the numbers speak for themselves. 100 million is no small number, though it has taken longer to get there than Microsoft would have been hoping for. So, Microsoft has the ammunition to keep its critics quiet at least for the time being as they plan to celebrate the milestone. It is worth noting at this point that some have been critical of Microsoft’s sales recording methods – suggesting the 100M licenses just means that number has been issued to OEMs. The actual amount of licenses actually purchased and being actively used could be significantly less.
The kind of money Microsoft has spent on developing and marketing it, one would expect them to be disappointed by Windows 8’s performance. That doesn’t seem to be the case though. Tami Reller, the CFO and CMO of Microsoft explained it quite straightforwardly that Windows 8 is a departure from the conventional Windows operating systems. She wrote that it is a change and any change takes time to become widespread. In this regard, she feels that Windows 8 is right on track.
The 100 million licenses mark also proves that Microsoft still has momentum in the declining PC market. Several PC makers have been ruing about the contracting market and the falling demand. Windows 8 seems to be dispelling that notion. If it continues to sell at this pace, Microsoft will easily retain control over the PC market. What this means is that people still favor the Windows OS over the other options available to them.
The pace at which Microsoft has been selling Windows 8 licenses has been particularly encouraging for the tech giant. In the first three months or so, the Windows 8 sales stood at around 60 million. This means that 40 million licenses have been sold over the past three months. Even Windows 7, a much popular and well-received operating system, didn’t manage to sell more than 100 million in the first six months of release. So, even though Windows 8 hasn’t sold like hot cakes, it is keeping pace with Windows 7 sales.
Perhaps the most exciting thing to look forward to regarding Windows 8 is the update 8.1, formerly known as Windows Blue. It is being touted as improving the Windows 8 user experience considerably. It may prove to be the catalyst for the operating to finally win over its detractors and critics and become a bona fide success.
[Image via mashable]
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EA Gets Exclusive Rights over Star Wars Games
The fate of future Star Wars games seemed uncertain after Disney shut down the LucasArts game development division, in the wake of purchasing Lucasfilm last year. But it seems fans of the popular sci-fi franchise have nothing to fear, as news emerged that Disney gave Electronic Arts exclusive rights to develop games based on the series.
The multi-year deal signed by Disney and EA will allow the video game publisher to design, develop and publish any video games based on and inspired by the Star Wars world. The financial terms of the contract were not revealed.
A joint statement from both companies said EA would be in charge of developing Star Wars games for a core audience and for all interactive gaming platforms. Disney, meanwhile, will retain the rights of developing certain titles for mobile, tablet, social and online gaming.
The president of EA Labels, Frank Gibeau, announced that future Star Wars games would be developed by in-house developers DICE (responsible for Battlefield), Visceral Games (which developed Dead Space) and BioWare (Mass Effect). BioWare has already been in contact with the Star Wars world when it developed massively multiplayer online games such as The Old Republic or Knights of the Old Republic. Gibeau also said that the future titles may be inspired by the classic movies, but will nonetheless have entirely new stories and gameplay.
The EA deal comes one month after Disney shut down LucasArts, announcing plans to license games instead of developing than develop them in-house. The decision brought several projects, including a new Star Wars action title called Star Wars 1313, to a halt. It is unclear whether the project will be resumed one way or another under the Disney-EA arrangement.
The exclusive publishing deal is however unlikely to affect another Star Wars title currently in development. Sony Online Entertainment said the Star Wars: Clone Wars Adventures MMO will continue to run without any problems under its current license.
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