Windows 7 passes 150 million sold mark
By Wilson • Jun 24th, 2010 • Category: Industry News, software
- Photo: Microsoft
Microsoft has announced that its latest Windows operating system, Windows 7, has now exceeded the 150 million units sold mark, reaffirming (and cementing) its place as the fastest selling operating system of all time.
Seven sold every second
This 150 million sold figure represents ‘seven copies of Windows 7 sold every second’ since the Windows operating system was released on 22 October 2009. The bulk of these sales are driven by enterprise, with Microsoft’s research indicating that 75 per cent of enterprises are exploring the adoption of Microsoft’s latest Windows operating system.
Why the explosive sales rate
The explosive sales rate is indicative of two things – one, the quality of Windows 7 and, two, how shocking Windows Vista was. Regarding the OS quality, Microsoft’s latest Windows operating system is a modern OS with a UI upgrade more indicative of the times, minus the problems (security, stability, excessive notifications) that marred Windows Vista. Speaking of Windows Vista, that operating system’s biggest problem to adoption was how bad it was. Or, to take a softer position, how badly received it was. Add that to the fact that it was released right before a painful recession, which meant enterprises were cutting spending, Windows Vista never really had a fighting chance.
A quick turnover
- Photo: gynti_46 / Flickr
The last time we wrote about Windows 7’s explosive sales rate, Microsoft’s latest Windows operating system had past the 90 million sold threshold. This was at the beginning of March, meaning that in the three and a half months since, Microsoft has added an impressive 60 million units to that total, showing that sales are not tapering off yet.
Room to breathe (and fight)
Microsoft is reliant on Windows 7 and Office 2010 to generate significant revenue for it while the company navigates more competitive market spaces like smartphone operating systems, video games, and its many cloud computing initiatives.
Tags for this article: windows 7, microsoft, windows vista
