Between the Lines

Larry Dignan, Andrew Nusca and Rachel King

Microsoft's Windows 8 by the numbers

By | September 14, 2011, 3:00am PDT

Summary: Microsoft’s Windows 8 will be a critical release. Here’s a look at some of the numbers behind Windows 8.

Microsoft previews Windows 8 for developers and there’s a lot at stake. Windows 8 represents the software giant’s bet that it can navigate multiple screens—PCs, tablets and even TVs—with one operating system.

The task is daunting. Here’s a look at some of the numbers behind Windows 8.

1: Version of Windows.

2: Architectures to support—ARM and Intel’s x86.

7: Number of languages that developers can use to program Metro Style apps: C, C++, C#, Visual Basic, HTML5/JavaScript and/or using XAML.

1366 by 768 or better: Screen resolution you’ll need to snap a Metro app into a skinny strip on the side.

10: Fingers supported in Microsoft’s touch-first Windows interface.

60 percent: Percentage of Windows and Windows Live revenue attributed to the enterprise, according to Wells Fargo.

1 year: Rough timeline for Windows 8 to launch.

18-24 months: Estimated remaining time for the corporate Windows 7 upgrade cycle.

35: Number of groups working on Windows 8 apps.

2.9 percent: Year-over-year estimated revenue growth for Microsoft’s Windows and Windows Live division for fiscal 2012, according to Evercore.

$19.57 billion: Fiscal 2012 estimated revenue for the Windows and Windows Live division, according to Evercore.

8 percent: Year-over-year estimated revenue growth for Microsoft’s Windows and Windows Live division for fiscal 2012, according to Evercore.

$21.13 billion: Fiscal 2013 estimated revenue for the Windows and Windows Live division, according to Evercore.

$74.5 billion: Fiscal 2012 estimated revenue for Microsoft, according to Wall Street analysts.

$79.6 billion: Fiscal 2013 estimated revenue for Microsoft, according to Wall Street analysts.

1 billion: People who use Windows every day.

1 trillion: Telemetry data points Microsoft collected from Windows 7 users to figure out the control panel options in Windows 8.

More on Windows 8:

CNET:

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Larry Dignan is Editor in Chief of ZDNet and SmartPlanet as well as Editorial Director of ZDNet's sister site TechRepublic.

Disclosure

Larry Dignan

Larry Dignan has nothing to disclose. He doesn’t hold investments in the technology companies he covers.

Biography

Larry Dignan

Larry Dignan is Editor in Chief of ZDNet and SmartPlanet as well as Editorial Director of ZDNet's sister site TechRepublic. He was most recently Executive Editor of News and Blogs at ZDNet. Prior to that he was executive news editor at eWeek and news editor at Baseline. He also served as the East Coast news editor and finance editor at CNET News.com. Larry has covered the technology and financial services industry since 1995, publishing articles in WallStreetWeek.com, Inter@ctive Week, The New York Times, and Financial Planning magazine. He's a graduate of the Columbia School of Journalism and the University of Delaware.

For daily updates, follow Larry on Twitter.

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RE: Microsoft's Windows 8 by the numbers
rdupuy11 14th Sep
@General C#

I've just written an app in HTML5/Javascript - talk about fast - it's fast.

I've written in C, C#, even Java.....and don't get me wrong, I like C and C# - not so much java, talk about tedious....

But HTLM5/Javascript was by far the fastest to program for....well to each their own, but I see HTML5/Javascript as being huge.
HTML5/JavaScript and/or using XAML aren't really programming languages. They're just used for UI, generally in conjunction with a programming language like C#. Also, the programming languages aren't limited to these, because heck Microsoft plays well with others.

Here's something that many people have conveniently not mentioned. DoJ is no longer looking over Microsoft's shoulders, enabling Microsoft, for the first time, to provide a consumer-worthy out of the box experience. This is also the reason why Windows Essentials will be baked in and not a separate download as before.
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@General C#

So you really have no idea what HTML5/JavaScript can do.

I'll agree with you on the second statement about the DoJ. I'm looking forward to own multiple devices (phone, PC) running Win8.
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@holy_steven Oh I'm holy aware, but seriously, I wouldn't want to suffer through the pain of javascript. Why, when you can achieve the same thing with less time and effort with some other technology.
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I sat in on the demos
honeymonster 14th Sep
@General C#
JavaScript definately becomes a first-class citizen on Windows 8. MS has made WinRT bindings available for JavaScript as they have for the other languages.

JavaScript can access the camera, can take advantage of the "charms", can support contracts and has a rich async programming model just like the next versions of C# and VB.

For some applications (which do not require server-side programming) HTML5/JavaScript is definitively a viable option.

I believe that MS master plan behind this is to make it really easy for web site developers to offer "tiles" with functionality to the Windows 8 based devices which may visit them.
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@General C#

I've just written an app in HTML5/Javascript - talk about fast - it's fast.

I've written in C, C#, even Java.....and don't get me wrong, I like C and C# - not so much java, talk about tedious....

But HTLM5/Javascript was by far the fastest to program for....well to each their own, but I see HTML5/Javascript as being huge.
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RE: Microsoft's Windows 8 by the numbers
Badgered Updated - 14th Sep
2.9 percent : Year-over-year estimated revenue growth for Microsofts Windows and Windows Live division for fiscal 2012 , according to Evercore.

8 percent : Year-over-year estimated revenue growth for Microsofts Windows and Windows Live division for fiscal 2012 , according to Evercore.

I'm guessing one of those is supposed to say 2013.
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I suspect that the 1 billion people using Windows every day will be the motivation that drives app developers. Well, that along with the fact that many of them are sitting on windows machines developing apps for other platforms and are intimately familiar with programming for windows.
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@Ididar

1 Billion and shrinking. Albeit slowly but the #'s are shrinking.

GM of the 50's also thought they were invincible despite falling sales. Just took a while to catch up to them. The same will happen to MS.
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@itguy10 When you say "shrinking" do you mean rolling out the most successful desktop OS in history like Windows 7? or do you mean having multiple Billion Dollar Business Units. So, no falling sales. Ergo, what's your point?
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@Ididar - Check the financial statements and calls Microsoft made money last year and beat expectations again. What are you talking about falling sales and shrinking #'s. The was the most successful and fastest selling desktop platform in the world! Check the facts http://www.microsoft.com/presspass
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@itguy10 GM had good competitors like BMW, Mercedes, etc. Microsoft has Apple => waaa waaa waaaa
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@itguy10 keep dreaming pal i think you are an apple employee.
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@itguy10 dont be jealous apple troll just because your gay steve jobs left apple. hahahaha go play with your sour apples toys. hahhaha
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RE: Microsoft's Windows 8 by the numbers
Michael Alan Goff 14th Sep
Incorrect.

The number of total computers is on the rise, and Windows-based computers aren't keeping up the pace. That isn't to say that some people aren't moving, just that they're also gaining.

They just aren't gaining enough.
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I was hoping they'd do something nice... but I really cannot stand the new interface... hopefully there will be a way to totally disable it and have an older Start menu style and just always leave it in the Desktop, but I can't seem to find one.
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100% FUGLY
itguy10 14th Sep
The Metro UI and the concepts behind it.

Looks like some 3rd world clone of a real OS.
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@itguy10 Apparently, you were looking at a Unity screenshot.
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@itguy10 Which real OS? I have not seen anything like Metro (except on the Windows Phone), yet I have not seen every OS. So which clone are you referring too? It would be interesting to see who else has come up with live tiles, semantic zoom, and the ability to integrate applications that know nothing about each other, while providing developers with their choice of language.
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@itguy10 Seriously! How did you reach that conclusion?
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Post-IPAD era is here.

Microsoft FTW!
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@iluvmsft very true the baby pad is toast
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ALL Apple Trolls are not saying WOW! maybe they are all crying now hoping there cult leader steve gay jobs to be back has they know there apple products are all going to be sour apples when windows 8 lauches. Thank goodness for a real innovative product to arrive than boring apple products
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