Windows 7 continues to blaze trails, both in new sales and in upgrades of existing machines. As of the second week in November, less than three weeks since the official release, Windows 7 has reportedly snagged over 4% of the global OS market. At that speed, Windows 7 is outpacing its predecessor at an alarming rate. It took Vista roughly six months after release to reach 4% share.
This momentum may continue through the end of the year, when PC sales are traditionally high. If it does, it will be interesting to see where most of the users are coming from – be it upgrades from XP, Vista, or new machines. Regardless, the message is clear: Windows 7 is growing at an astounding rate.
A report earlier in the month indicated that Windows 7 was selling significantly better than Vista in retail, which was undoubtedly affected by pre-order discounts. It is possible that as pricing returns to normal, retail sales could decline. That point may be moot, however – it is safe to say that from this point onward, Vista sales will come to a halt.