Microsoft has sold 40 million Windows 8 licenses since the new operating system launched. The sales number represents a solid but unspectacular start for the touch friendly operating system designed to combat Apple Inc’s and Google Inc’s domination of mobile computing, which has shunted aside PCs in favor of iPads and smartphones. Tami Reller, finance and marketing head of the Windows business, did not give a precise comparison, but sales of 40 million licenses for Windows 8, appear to be ahead of Windows 7, which sold just over 60 million units in the first 10 weeks on sale at the end of 2009.

Reller says “Windows 8 upgrade momentum is outpacing that of Windows 7”. Upgrading to Windows 8 costs $40, compared to $70 for the full software package or hundreds of dollars for the new PC. The latest figure does not mean that 40 million users have adopted Windows 8, according to research making a total of around 15 million are actually running Windows 8. At the time of Windows 8 launch there were some new apps in the Windows store than any other app store. Now the apps has been doubled since the launch such as ABC News, ABC Family, Engadget Flixster OWN, CBS, Vimeo and my personal favorite.