Is Windows Vista that bad, or is Windows 7 that good? Maybe a bit of both, as for the first time ever, the usage rates of the newer version exceeds that of its predecessor.
While Windows XP is still currently more widely used than both Vista and Windows 7 combined, Window 7 adoption has been increasing quickly since its release last October.
Windows 7 had established a 2.85 percent share of the OS market on devices accessing the internet the first week after it was released. By January 31, 2010, just three months later, it had already grown to 10.16 percent.
For the month of July, Windows 7 pulled ahead of Vista’s 14.34 percent, with a 14.46 percent share of the OS market. While 14.46 percent may seem like a paltry number next to Windows XP’s 62 percent of the OS market, Windows 7 is definitely picking up its share at an impressive rate. In fact, in the first month of sales Windows 7 already held a 4 percent share, while it took Vista eight months on the market to reach the same level.
Windows 7, according to Microsoft community manager Brandon LeBlanc, has been, “The fastest selling operating system in history.” The corporation confirmed that between June 23rd and July 21st they were selling the OS at a rate of 9.97 licenses per second. 175 million copies of Windows 7 have been sold since its launch.
While I wouldn’t say that Windows Vista was a bad operating system, I think Microsoft put out a higher quality, better prepared product upon release with Windows 7. Also, XP has obviously been a solid performer for Microsoft, and until Windows 7 began receiving glowing reviews, the average consumer hasn’t had much of a reason to make the change. Apparently they’ve found their reason, and Windows 7 shows no signs of slowing any time soon.
