14 DAY TRIAL // Microsoft was quick, albeit more than entitled to applaud Windows 7 for being the fastest selling operating system in history, but fact is that the latest Windows client is enjoying nothing short of stellar adoption. At least in some markets; case in point: Redmond, the software giant’s home. Redmondians must really love their Microsoft since almost half of them have already upgraded to Windows Vista’s successor, according to Internet metrics company Net Application. Statistics made public by Net Applications indicate that no less than 42% of the Internet users in Microsoft’s back yard are already running Windows 7, namely approximately 6 times as many as the global average.
Of course, the software giant has the bulk of its employees in the area, some 40,000 workers, and they’re bound to be contributing to fattening up the overall number of Windows 7 users in Redmond. “The Redmond, WA area has the highest usage share of Windows 7 in the U.S. Within the actual city of Redmond, 42% of internet users are on Windows 7,” Net Applications stated.
At the same time, global usage of Windows 7 is also exploding. Statistics reveal that while the Redmond area is an exception for Windows 7 uptake, adoption of the platform is strong around the globe. Net Applications noted that Windows 7 already broke 10% market share in daily tracking. “For the last day of January, Windows 7 broke 10% global usage share,” the Internet metrics company reported.
When Microsoft said it sold over 60 million copies of Windows 7 since the operating system hit store shelves in October 22nd, 2009, the company failed to say the entire story. This is that sales of the operating system copies have already exploded past the 60 million mark. At the end of January, Windows 7 accounted for an average OS market share of 7.51%. Essentially, it took Windows 7 just over three months to grab a market share that Vista managed to attain in almost 11 months. And Windows 7 is growing at the expense of its direct rivals, Vista and Windows XP. Vista’s market share slid to 17.39% in January 2010 from 17.87% the month before, while XP dropped from 67.77% to 66.31%.
Taking into consideration the 7.51% market share slice of Windows 7, my prediction is that Microsoft has now passed the 75 million sold licenses of the operating system, and is closing in on the 80 million mark. What is interesting is that if Windows 7’s adoption momentum continues at the same pace, it will outrun Vista in no time. Taking into consideration Windows 7’s explosive growth at the detriment of Vista, the first will jump over 15% market share by June 2010, while the latter would drop under the mark by the same time. This will make Windows 7 the second most used operating system worldwide by mid-2010, leaving it to take on Windows XP.
