Windows 7 hits 240 million mark in its first year

“I think Windows 7 has exceeded expectations,” said Gavriella Schuster, general manager of Windows Product Management. “People from the very beginning have had an optimistic forecast. I actually felt in the beginning we needed to temper expectations a bit… but a year later, we’re on track. We’re right where we thought we would be. It’s been a good year – it’s a year to celebrate.”

For months before its official launch, Windows 7 raked in positive reviews and feedback from customers around the world. The operating system also was released into one of the biggest economic downturns in recent history, yet it was quickly and widely adopted by consumers and businesses alike.

“We were in such a bad place economically; I didn’t know how that was going to play out. I was nervous,” Schuster said. “But I feel really good about how it’s all turned out.”

Consumers are buying Windows 7 PCs, and computer owners and businesses are upgrading as well. While the economy is still suffering, Windows 7 remains one of the top three projects IT pros are considering for their businesses, Schuster said.

“It’s just that important,” Schuster said. “That’s a good outcome.”

A year ago – on Oct. 22 – eager Microsoft engineers gathered to help then-Chief Financial Officer Chris Liddell “virtually” ring the NASDAQ stock market opening bell. On the one year anniversary of that day, Schuster said she’d like to raise her hat to the incredible work that engineers and teams across Microsoft did to get Windows 7 ready to meet the world.

“The primary win, the reason why Windows 7 is so successful, is because of the phenomenal engineering effort,” she said. “We delivered what we said we were going to deliver, when we said we would deliver it, with very high quality.”