Harry Potter Bows Down To Windows 7 Pre-Orders

Man, we knew Windows 7 would be a hit, but we definitely didn't see this coming. The proverbial giant has been toppled, as Microsoft's newest OS--which launched today, by the way--has beaten the mighty Harry on Amazon UK's pre-order charts. What Harry, you ask? Harry Potter, of course!

As of yesterday, Windows 7 was the outfit's best-selling pre-ordered item of all time, though specific numbers weren't disclosed. Those pre-orders began on July 15th, and they even sold out (albeit for only a short period of time) that very same day. What's wild is that Win7's pre-order rate beat out Vista in a bad, bad way. The amount of Win7 pre-orders within the first eight hours beat the amount of Vista pre-orders during the latter's entire pre-order period.


Of course, Microsoft's tasty upgrade pricing and the general unhappiness with Vista probably helped matters, but to put Mr. Potter to shame (in Rowling's homeland, no less) is still a mighty feat. Good going Microsoft--if you can keep this up, we'd say you'll be enjoying a lovely Q4.