Market trackers NPD have released their monthly report, which this time includes three weeks of data since the launch of Windows 8. According to this report, sales of Windows PCs and tablet computers at US retail fell 21 percent compared with a year earlier. The markets have so far been indifferent to the arrival of machines loaded with Windows 8. As is quite evident in recent times, all of the spenders’ attention is held by smartphones and tablets by established players in the market.
Having said that, NPD analyst Stephen Baker commented that with the entire holiday season ahead, Windows 8 might still cause a bump in sales, and bring end-of-the-year sales closer to what was expected at the beginning of the year.
Having taken another go at establishing themselves in the mobile business, Microsoft is certainly sparing no cost to get the word out. A USB analyst called Mary Jo Foley has put the value of Microsoft’s Windows 8 campaign at $1 billion. While the company is known for spending big on marketing, this number makes it the most expensive ad campaign in its history.