Windows 7 now on one in 10 of world's PCs

Licences for Microsoft's latest OS are selling like hotcakes...

Just six months after its release, Windows 7 is now installed on one in 10 of the world's PCs, Microsoft has confirmed.

The operating system was launched on 22 October 2009 and has gone on to sell more than 100 million licences - making it the fastest-selling Windows OS in history according to Microsoft.

Microsoft yesterday reported revenues of $14.5bn for the financial quarter ended 31 March and CFO Peter Klein said Windows 7 "continues to be a growth engine" - with Windows revenue up 28 per cent year-on-year.

Windows 7 is now the fastest-selling Windows OS in history
(Screenshot: Seth Rosenblatt/CNET)

Business users are likely to prove early adopters of the OS: recent research found almost half of IT departments looking to migrate to Windows 7 said they will do so before the first service pack is launched. Meanwhile, analysts have predicted Windows 7 will be the standard operating system for enterprises before the end of this year.

In related news, Microsoft also launched its Windows Touch for Windows 7 technology last week. It's a package of six applications, including three Microsoft Surface apps, that showcase Windows 7's touchscreen technology. The touch pack was previously only available for OEMs to install on touchscreen PCs but is now available for users to download.