Windows 7 has achieved record sales levels – more than double those of previous operating system (OS) releases – a triumphant Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer told a shareholders’ meeting last week.
Speaking at the Microsoft Annual Shareholder Meeting, Ballmer announced record sales figures for Windows 7, and detailed the company’s plans to continue to deliver shareholder value in the long-term.
“Windows 7 is the simply best PC operating system we have ever built,” Ballmer said.
“It enables people to do more of what they want to do more easily and more quickly, and customers are responding.
“Since launch, we’ve already sold twice as many units of Windows 7 than any other operating system we’ve ever launched in a comparable time,” he said.
What’s happening in other areas
Ballmer also pointed to the momentum the company was experiencing in other key areas of its business, with delivery of products and services including Bing, Windows Server 2008, Windows Azure, and the upcoming release of Microsoft Office 2010.
More than 98pc of the voting shareholders supported the company’s executive compensation practices in Microsoft’s first vote on executive compensation, also known as “say on pay.”
In September, Microsoft’s board adopted a triennial “say on pay” model, in which the company’s shareholders will have the opportunity to vote every three years on the compensation programme for the company’s named executive officers.
Microsoft’s executive compensation programme emphasises long-term equity, rather than short-term cash, to link executive compensation more closely to company performance and the interests of shareholders.
By John Kennedy
Photos: Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer (above), and a Windows 7 desktop (below).
