Windows 7 Jumps Over 20% in Global Usage Share Ahead of 2011

Windows 7’s strong uptake rate continues to hold steady even as the operating system has entered into its second year on the market.

Released commercially on October 22nd, 2009, Windows 7 now accounts for 20.87% in global usage share according to statistics made available at the start of this year by Internet metrics company Net Applications.

Windows 7 gained no less than 1.18% between November and December 2010, jumping from 19.69% to almost 21%, a milestone which the platform is right on track to also leave behind this month.

Fact is that if both Windows XP and Windows Vista continue to lose market share, Windows 7 will soon have more than double the market share of its predecessor, and almost half of the Windows OS launched in 2001.

Between November and December 2010, Vista dropped from 12.62% to 12.11%, and is bound to dip under 12% in February 2011.

During the same period, Windows XP’s usage share diminished considerably, from 57.88% to just 56.72%.

XP’s market share is approaching the 50% mark at a fast pace, and considering the current trend, it will hit it sometime before mid-2011.

Back in October 2010, Microsoft shared the latest round of Windows 7 sales statistics with the public. At that time, the software giant revealed that over 240 million units of Windows 7 had already been sold to customers worldwide.

Personally, I expect Microsoft Chief Executive Officer Steve Ballmer to announce fresh Windows 7 sale figures this week at 2011 International Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas.

If I was to put my money on it, I’d say that Windows 7 managed to hit, or at least come very close to the 300 sold units worldwide by the end of 2010, a milestone which various analysts had already predicted.

I’m in fact betting my prediction on the accelerated sales brought by the 2010 Holiday season, but CES 2011 is just days away, so I guess we won’t have to wait all that long for an official announcement from Microsoft.

Windows 7 RTM Enterprise 90-Day Evaluation is available for download here.