Microsoft claims 40 million Windows 8 sales

Microsoft has revealed that it has sold 40 million licenses for its Windows 8 operating system in the first month since it was released.

The operating system was made available to buy on 26 October after over a year of build-up to the release as the firm slowly revealed more information on the operating system which marks a radical overhaul from its ubiquitous Windows desktop platform.

The firm's communications manager at Microsoft, Brandon LeBlanc, revealed the latest figures in a blog post, noting it was an even faster sales cycle than previous Windows updates.

"Windows 8 is outpacing Windows 7 in terms of upgrades. We built Windows 8 to work great on existing Windows 7 PCs. And we also set out to make upgrading from Windows 7 to Windows 8 super easy," he wrote.

The wording suggests this does not include any sales of new devices running Windows 8, such as the firm's own Surface tablet.

He also touted the early interest in the Windows Store since it went live alongside the Windows 8 operating system.

"There were more apps in the Windows Store at launch than any other app store at their launch and since then, the number of apps in the Windows Store has doubled," he said.

A number of apps in the Windows Store have crossed the $25,000 revenue mark and the developer keeps 80 percent of the revenue they make off downloads for the life of their app."

The figures are impressive for the first month availability of Windows 8 which is a major gamble for Microsoft as it seeks to regain its former top dog position in the market by fighting back against the likes of Samsung and Apple.

It will also be hoping the success of Windows 8 could drive more people to its Windows Phone 8 platform, as will vendors such as HTC and Nokia who have a lot riding on its success too.