Microsoft Corp. has announced that its latest Windows 7 operating system has managed to become the fastest operating system in the history of personal computers. Rapid sales of Windows 7 allowed Microsoft to post record results for the most recent quarter.

Windows 7 and Windows Server 2008 R2 launched globally on October 22 as anticipated. Through the second quarter of its fiscal year, Microsoft has sold over 60 million Windows 7 licenses making it the fastest selling operating system in history. According to Netmarketshare.com tracker, Windows 7 is not installed onto 7.51% of personal computers used to browse the Internet, which is considerably below the share of Windows XP (66.3%), but is higher compared to all versions of Apple Mac OS combined.

“Exceptional demand for Windows 7 led to the positive top-line growth for the company. Our continuing commitment to managing costs allowed us to drive earnings performance ahead of the revenue growth,” said Peter Klein, chief financial officer at Microsoft.

Microsoft announced record revenue of $19.02 billion for the second quarter ended December 31, 2009, a 14% increase from the same period of the prior year. Operating income, net income and diluted earnings per share for the quarter were $8.51 billion, $6.66 billion and $0.74 per share, which represented increases of 43%, 60% and 57%, respectively, when compared with the prior year period.

These financial results include the recognition of $1.71 billion of deferred revenue, an impact of $0.14 of diluted earnings per share, relating to the Windows 7 Upgrade Option Program and pre-sales of Windows 7 to OEMs and retailers before general availability. Adjusting for the deferred revenue recognition, second-quarter revenue totaled $17.31 billion, and diluted earnings per share totaled $0.60 per share.

Tags: Microsoft, Windows