PC Data: 250,000 Units of Microsoft's Windows Me Sold During First Four Days of Release

Microsoft's new consumer PC operating system, Windows Millennium Edition (Me), sold 250,000 units in the U.S. during its first four days in the market, putting the product on a path to sell more than 400,000 units in its first month, according to early sales figures released today by PC Data. During its first day, Thursday, Sept. 14, the product sold 75,000 units.
At the current sales rate, the new operating system will easily surpass one million units sold at retail before the end of the year. Microsoft's two previous upgrades, Windows 95 and Windows 98, sold 600,000 in their first month on the market. Each title went on to sell two million units in their first six months.
"Windows Me has a way to go before it becomes the top selling product of the year," said Roger C. Lanctot, senior director of research for PC Data. "But the title is likely to have a huge impact on how home PCs are used now and in the future."
"Its integration of video, audio, photo editing and recording capabilities will bring this functionality to a wider audience, and create new opportunities for both publishers and peripheral manufacturers. The product's arrival has already given a boost to lagging retail software sales and promises to provide a push for fourth quarter sales in all software categories. Windows Me is the most important new piece of software in 2000," he added.
About PC Data
PC Data is the leading provider of high tech sales intelligence in the United States. Its PC Data Online division has become a primary source of Web measurement through its panel of over 120,000 U.S. home Internet users. It also conducts rapidly deployed surveys over the Internet. In addition to the U.S., PC Data collects online data in the Pacific Rim, Australia, Italy and Canada.