Microsoft Reports Windows 7 Sales at 150 Million as it Launches Live Essentials

Microsoft (News - Alert) has sold 150 million Windows 7 licenses in eight months - representing more than 600,000 copies per day.

"And, perhaps fittingly for a product called Windows 7, it adds up to 7 copies every second of every day since launch," according to a blog post last week from Frank X. Shaw, Microsoft's vice president for corporate communications.

"We live in a hyper-competitive industry, with loads of challenges to go along with loads of opportunity … 2010 is shaping up as a huge year for us," Shaw added.

He said that the 150 million Windows 7 licenses make Windows 7 "by far the fastest growing operating system in history."

Windows Communications Manager Brandon LeBlanc said that, including companies that are either deploying or evaluating Windows 7, about 75 percent of all enterprises are 'looking at Windows 7 for their organization," according to a posting on a Windows blog.

On June 24, Microsoft released a beta version of Windows Live Essentials, its set of free applications for sharing photos, movies and communication.

Microsoft released the beta versions of the new Messenger, Photo Gallery, Movie Maker and Sync.

"Together, the new Windows Live Essentials combine the power of the PC and the reach of the cloud to enhance the Windows 7 experience," LeBlanc said.

The beta release came on the heels of the Hotmail roll-out.

'What the new Windows Live Essentials does is blends together the best of the PC with the best of the cloud,' LeBlanc said.

"The way people connect and share with each other continues to shift toward the cloud and we recognize that. The PC continues to be the hub for important activities such as managing email, organizing photos, watching movies and listening to music," LeBlanc added.

Microsoft is also adding a brand called Windows Embedded Handheld to its current mobile software platforms, the company announced recently.