Microsoft has sold 40 million Windows 8 licenses since the new release of the company's flagship operating system software became available just over one month ago.

The sales figure was disclosed earlier today by Tami Reller, corporate vice president and CFO of the Microsoft Windows and Windows Live Division, at the Credit Suisse 2012 Annual Technology Conference in Scottsdale, Ariz.

The Windows 8 sales numbers are the first Microsoft has disclosed since the product began shipping on Oct. 25.

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After Reller made the announcement, it also was posted on Microsoft's Windows blog.

Microsoft did not break down the sales numbers to say how many of the 40 million copies of Windows 8 have been sold with new PCs and laptop computers and how many have been sold as upgrades for older Windows releases. The blog did say that Windows 8 sales are "outpacing Windows 7 in terms of upgrades."

Microsoft also did not disclose sales numbers for its Surface tablet, which also went on sale on Oct. 25. That device runs on Windows RT, a version of Windows specifically developed to run on ARM-based devices.

Reller was put in charge of the business side of the Windows and Windows Live Division two weeks ago after the sudden departure of Steven Sinofsky, the then-president of the Windows division who oversaw the development of Windows 8.

PUBLISHED NOV. 27, 2012