“Windows” has one of the five biggest trending topics on Twitter
this afternoon. All four of the top iPad apps measured by
download volume in America are Microsoft products right now.
Even more astonishingly, Microsoft Word for iPad has become
the No. 6 highest grossing iPad app in the United States.
In productivity-loving Germany, Word is the third biggest
grossing app on iPad and it actually just surpassed the
mighty Candy Crush Saga in revenue generation.
Even in notoriously unproductive countries such as Italy,
Word is a top 10 app.
This is sort of astonishing. It’s not surprising that Microsoft’s
Office apps are a hit on the download charts but the revenue
success really is remarkable. Word is competing successfully
against casino games and puzzle apps that have literally
5 million to 20 million active users in America and millions
in markets like Germany and the United Kingdom.
Generating this kind of first-day gross performance
is a real achievement. Of course, Microsoft’s apps
have massive built-in brand recognition and many
consumers have been anticipating their arrival for literally years.
Nevertheless, the Redmond crew must be feeling a
bittersweet mix of emotions. Back in 2000,
Apple was teetering on the edge in insolvency
and Microsoft’s grip on global computer software
market seemed eternal. Apple then shifted
consumers from PCs to smartphones and tablets
in just seven years with breakneck speed and now
Microsoft’s sudden return to relevance has been
achieved by renting space on its ancient rival’s
fancy new home turf.
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