Over 150 million copies

[Mystic]

Microsoft has now sold over 150 million copies of Windows 7 since its launch date in October 2009. That is about 3 months less than a year of course. At the current time over 25 million copies of Windows 7 are being sold every month. According to Microsoft, 75% of enterprises are considering moving to Windows 7. With the current rate of sales Microsoft will have sold about 300 million copies of Windows 7 by the end of 2010. Information from the Windows Supersite.

If Microsoft does manage to sell 300 million copies of Windows 7 by the end of 2010 they will have sold that number of copies in about 1.25 years. In comparison Windows Vista sold about 180 million copies in about 3 years.

Now, I realize of course that this post will be attacked. So exactly how many copies of Mac OS X have been sold since Mac OS X came out several years ago? And how many copies of your favorite version of Linux are in use?

I think we are going to have to have a new prediction for the death of Microsoft. It might take more than 5 years before Microsoft collapses into history.

 

[sprintman]

W7E installed on new work system, so far very impressed.

 

[uc50ic4more]

I think "sold" may very well include licenses for computers sold with Windows 7 pre-installed. In that case, chalk up 5 Windows 7 "purchases" so far for friends that have bought systems with Win7 on them, and chalk up 5 for Debian Squeeze that I immediately replaced Windows with! They're running neck-and-neck around here.

I haven't got past the initial splash screen of Win7 yet, but I've heard even the most ardent anti-Microsoft folks grudgingly admit that "M$ got it right this time". Good for them - I hope it increases the level of happiness and productivity for those using it; at least until Microsoft dies, which I hear will be within the next 30 days. (I kid, Mystic, I kid!)

 

[daman]

Pfft..XP is still problem less here,i'll update someday.

 

[SLCraig]

I'm pushing 7 at work. Although it will probably be a little longer on XP, its pretty much problem free as it is. But, you gotta make a move sometime, and 7 is the best thing now. (avoided Vista all together)

 

[Cutehumor]

I'm not getting windows 7 unless I buy a new pc. keeping my old pcs running linux mint.

 

[daman]

How much $ is 7?

 

[Mystic]

Well sprintman you run an enterprise and you are obviously 1 person running an enterprise that is actually running Windows 7 on a work computer. I know where I work (and we have a lot of computers) IT personnel are talking about moving to Windows 7 and I actually saw Windows 7 running on a laptop computer a high ranking member of the staff here had.

It makes me laugh when some people imply that as soon as a company buys computers with Windows 7 on them that O/S is immediately replaced with some version of Linux. Oh, sure, that is happening all over! Where I work the computers are Unix and Windows (servers) and Windows desktops. And every employee I know of who has a home computer is running a Windows computer. There is no Linux in sight except maybe for some specialized purpose. Windows 7 is probably already the 2nd best selling O/S in history.

It is very hard to get any reliable information about Apple Computer sales but the best anybody has been able to determine is that Apple is about 4% of desktops in the world. Since there are about 1 billion desktop computers in the world that would mean some version of Apple's O/Ss is running on about 40 million computers worldwide. The best I have been able to figure out is that Apple is selling about 3-4 million computers PER QUARTER (every 3 months). Remember, Apple does not allow anybody else to install its O/Ss on computers not made by Apple. So any copies of Mac OS 10.6 being sold would probably replace an older version of Mac OS X on an Apple Computer.

It is almost impossible to get any reliable information about Linux. The best people have been able to determine is that Linux runs on about 1% of DESKTOP computers worldwide. There are incredible and unbelievable claims made all the time for the number of computers running Linux in the world. None of these claims are backed up by any reliable information. There have been so many unbelievable claims made that probably no figures coming from Linux fans can be taken at face value. For example, it is impossible to believe that every business that buys computers with Windows 7 installed immediately replaces that O/S with some version of Linux. If this was actually true the Linux fans would certainly make sure that it was covered by the news media. And I am 99.99% certain that the average person buying a new computer with Windows 7 installed is not immediately having that O/S replaced with Linux.

I hope this does not make the Apple fans and Linux fans ill, but it is highly unlikely that Microsoft is going to be historical any time soon. New predictions for Microsoft's death will have to be made.

 

[Bob Woods]

I got a new system with windows7, my only complaint is you can't network with anything else, it must be W7 or no shared printer. However windows easy transfer works between xp and W7 on a shared network via a router.

 

[oilslick44]

How is MSFT ever going to die with 30 to 40 billion of cash on the balance sheet?

 

[JHZR2]

Who is saying that MSFT is going to die? Is this merely because of AAPL having a high market cap lately?

i did vista, got burned. I'd do Windows 7, but right now work is running XP and IE6, so I dont think we will see it soon. Ill be happy when we get it, but I wont be in a rush to get a computer with windows 7 unless something compelling shows up.

Ill still buy a mac if Im in the market for a laptop. better experiences overall by far...

 

[CharlieJ]

Dump Windows, install Linux!

 

[OVERKILL]

I've been very impressed with Windows 7. More impressed than I've been with any Microsoft OS.

So impressed in fact that it replaced Slackware on my main PC as the primary OS. Yes, I'm typing this in Windows 7.

Every new laptop we order has Windows 7 on it. We've ordered three in the last week, today's arrival was a full-pimp ASUS G73 w/8GB of RAM, 2x500GB HDD's, Core i7 CPU and an ATI Radeon 5870 under the hood. It flies.

Every system save for one old desktop runs Windows 7 at our West Coast office. Our US office is primarily Windows 7 with only two older systems running Vista that will likely be moved up to 7.

While we have some appliances and servers running *nix variants, we have none on the desktop. We also only have about two Mac's.

I don't see Microsoft going anywhere. They have an incredibly firm grip on the desktop market. And while their server products can be replaced with an alternative OS, on the desktop, as far as application support and overall user-base, they still dominate. I don't see that changing anytime soon.

 

[Mystic]

When I was considering switching to Linux I used to spend a lot of time at various Linux websites. There were all kinds of incredible claims being made. Some people at Linux websites openly predicted that Microsoft would be gone in about 5 years. That was more than 5 years ago. In fact, one of the reasons I decided against Linux (aside from software and hardware compatiblity issues) was the bizarre behavior I observed at many Linux websites. It was impossible to believe any fantastic claim.

Before I believe anything I want statistics and I want to know where the statistics come from.

Let me give just one example. It is unbelievable that businesses and governmental agencies would continue to buy computers with Windows installed if all they did was then have Windows removed and some version of Linux installed. Why continue to waste money buying copies of Windows? The businesses and governmental agencies would have their computers custom built with Linux installed. It would be in the news. People could interview top executatives at various companies and quotes could be obtained from CEOs. HP and DEll would start making personal computers with Linux installed.

It was not quite as crazy at Apple websites but some Apple people predicted the death of Microsoft also.

I am not a diehard Microsoft fan. All computer software and hardware is just technology. And better technology will come along. But I get tired of all of the nonsense I see online that is peddled as fact.

If 70% of enterprises do in fact switch to Windows 7 who knows how many copies of Windows 7 will be sold. It could be over a billion in the next 3-4 years.

It may be heartbreaking for some people but Microsoft (the 'Dark Empire') is not going away anytime in the immediate future. Maybe the Empire actually won in those Star Wars movies. Did the Princess and that little guy (The Force is With You) actually wind up in prison cells?

 

[Mystic]

I read a Mac magazine recently and a Mac guy in that magazine was openly asking-'Where is Mac OS 10.7?' I think computers are kind of an afterthought at Apple these days. Really Apple is to a large degree a consumer electronics company. I read somewhere that two thirds of Apple's profits come from the sales of iPods, iPhones, iPads, etc.

Now I used Apple Computers for a long time. And I still like Apple Computers and the Mac O/S. I really think they need a desktop computer placed between the iMac and the Mac Pro. But of course they will not listen to me. They could probably sell a lot of computers if they has a reasonably priced desktop computer. There is a huge price gap between the iMac and the Mac Pro.

 

[simple_gifts]

Quote:

Why continue to waste money buying copies of Windows?


I ask a lot of people that.

 

[Mystic]

Well, ask about 95% of desktop computer users worldwide and ask about 91% of desktop computer users in the USA. Maybe they know something you have not found out. There has to be some reasons why the vast majority of people in the world continue to use Windows (and Microsoft Office).

Microsoft has a steel grip on the computer desktop. And a steel grip on office software (Microsoft Office). Nowhere is there any indication that there will be any change in these areas.

Only Apple presents even a small challenge to Microsoft. And personally I am starting to wonder if computers are even very important to Apple anymore.

People have been making predictions for years that Linux will finally arrive as competition to Microsoft for desktop computer O/Ss. It never seems to happen. It gets old and tiring hearing the silly predictions.

 

[greenaccord02]

Originally Posted By: Mystic

People have been making predictions for years that Linux will finally arrive as competition to Microsoft for desktop computer O/Ss. It never seems to happen. It gets old and tiring hearing the silly predictions.


It may sound silly now, but it will happen. End user software will eventually be free.

 

[tmorris1]

Originally Posted By: Bob Woods
I got a new system with windows7, my only complaint is you can't network with anything else, it must be W7 or no shared printer. However windows easy transfer works between xp and W7 on a shared network via a router.

That is not a true statement. I have it networked with XP, Vista, Win 7 32 and 64 bit, and Linux. Everything works fine, even sharing a printer from the Win 7 machine.

 

[Mystic]

One of the big myths about Linux that some people like to spread is that Linux software is free and that mysterious people throughout the world develop software for Linux just to server their fellow man.

Actually a lot of Linux software is developed by professional programmers working for various companies and organizations. For example, Sun develops some Linux software. And the Canonical Group (not sure of proper spelling) has offices in several countries. Don't worry, there is money behind Linux. Now understand, if they can get something free from a mysterious person developing software for free, they will take it. But there is big money behind Linux. One of the key figures in Linux development is a very wealthy man indeed.

Developing elaborate software takes time, talent, money, and professional software programmers. The people who develop that software and run the companies that make that software, etc., deserve to be paid for what they do. Quality software is usually going to have a price. Expecting people to work for nothing usually does not work. Check and see if Sun will give away Linux servers.

There is a lot of money behind Linux. But it serves some people to spread myths. I don't believe that Linux is developed in a magical forest by wizards.