Windows 7 has nothing short of hit the ground running in terms of sales, Microsoft has already noted on multiple occasions. Most recently, Chief Executive Officer Steve Ballmer speaking to participants at Microsoft’s Annual Shareholder Meeting today, underlined the strength in Windows sales following the general availability of Windows 7, on October 22nd, 2009. Ballmer has mentioned that Windows 7 is off to a fantastic start with record sales figures, an early success that more than mirrors the rave reviews and accolades that the operating system received.

But in spite of Windows 7 reaching a new apex for sales of a new Microsoft OS release, the Redmond company has actually dodged revealing any figures. The software giant is so far keeping mum on the actual qualities of Windows 7 that are being purchased by customers worldwide. But it shouldn’t be that hard to estimate just how many copies of its latest iteration of the Windows client Microsoft actually sold.

“Windows 7 is the simply best PC operating system we have ever built,” Ballmer explained. “It enables people to do more of what they want to do more easily and more quickly, and customers are responding. Since launch, we’ve already sold twice as many units of Windows 7 than any other operating system we’ve ever launched in a comparable time.”

The fact that Ballmer claims Windows 7 outsold all older releases of Windows at a ratio of two to one indicates that there are over 40 million licenses pushed by Microsoft already. November 22nd will mark Windows 7’s first month on the market. According to Microsoft, back February 2006, no less than 20 million licenses of Windows Vista had been already sold, just one month after GA. If Windows 7 sold licenses number at least double than Vista’s, customers need to have already acquired some 40 million units. Please bear in mind that this is nothing more than speculation on my part, and that I could, admittedly, be wrong.

Of course, as the latest version of Windows goes into its second month since GA, Microsoft is bound to make public the official sales figures for the operating system. It will be only then that the company will provide a true measure of the initial success of Windows 7.