Even though we are living in an Apple world, even if you’re not an Apple girl person, the Windows name still has some cache, even it’s mere curiosity that’s driving the interest.

The early reports concerning the amount of Windows 8 Consumer Preview copies were downloaded, and despite the fact that the doom of the Windows OS is being mentioned hither and yon, the numbers are impressive. According to the Building Windows 8 Twitter account:

For a company that’s apparently on the decline, that’s not bad; and, the initial reaction was awfully favorable. While I’ve been on record as being hesitant towards Microsoft’s design switch, favoring the tablet interface, the preview didn’t look all that bad, again, provided you’re a fan of tablet-like navigation (not guilty):

As for the upcoming fall of the Windows operating system, as some have foretold, while there’s no mistaking Apple’s presence in the tech industry, especially when it comes to smartphones, a little perspective about how things really are is sometimes helpful:

As for the reaction, I’m still seeing an awful lot of this stuff on Twitter:

So is Windows cool again?