Windows 7 breaks records, but what about Windows 8 ?

Microsoft have said that they expect to ship 350 million Windows 7 devices by the end of 2012. They also claim to have sold 350 million Windows 7 licenses over the last 18 months.

According to a report on Bloomberg, Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer spoke at the May 21st forum in Seoul and said that the fact they had shipped 350 million Windows 7 devices ‘makes Windows the most popular single system'.

Microsoft spoke out last month to say that they had sold 350 million licenses of Windows 7 in only 18 months. Ballmer is reportedly adding that they plan on selling 350 million Windows 7 licenses this year, alone.

This was verified in a blog post by Microsofts Brandon LeBlanc who wrote in a blog post “18 months ago to this day was when we launched Windows 7 and with that we’ve hit another important milestone: we are pleased to announce that Windows 7 has sold more than 350 million licenses. The momentum we’ve seen and continue to see with Windows 7 is incredible.”

The Windows platform is strong this year. Microsoft announced that the Windows and Windows Live Division posted revenue of $4.62 billion, up 4 percent from the previous year. Windows Enterprise desktop adoption is up to 40 percent worldwide.

Windows 8 is due for release in the not too distant future, although there are mixed feelings for the upcoming operating system. It is designed to pitch Microsoft in a head to head battle with Apple in the tablet sector. It also supports ARM based hardware. The ‘Metro' interface is the main talking point however as it is designed primarily for touch screen interfaces. There aren't many people who want finger prints over their 24 inch or 30 inch screen, even if they had touch screen support.

The plan so far is to release Windows 8 in October.

Ballmer added in his April 19th Statement “We’re driving toward exciting launches across the entire company, while delivering strong financial results. With the upcoming release of new Windows 8 PCs and tablets, the next version of Office, and a wide array of products and services for the enterprise and consumers, we will be delivering exceptional value to all our customers in the year ahead.”

#Kitguru says: Big sales for Windows 7, but will Windows 8 be such a big success in the desktop market?

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