Windows 7 Is A Hit In India

The operating system, the intended replacement for Windows Vista, was released in that country on Oct. 22, and since then Windows 7 has seen a strong early response, said Ravi Venkatesan, chairman of Microsoft's Indian unit, at the India Economic Forum. According to the Wall Street Journal and other sources, Venkatesan said Microsoft is seeing "good double-digit growth" in revenue from India and China.

This is a second spot of bright economic news for the country in recent days; India solution providers -- particularly those specializing in business process outsourcing -- recently posted good quarterly results.

Up until this point, India and China have contributed less than 5 percent of Microsoft's revenue. However, the ramped up revenue does not portend ramped up employment, Venkatesan said. The Indian unit has no plans to expand its headcount of 5,300; India's unemployment rate hovers around 7 percent.

In the U.S., Microsoft's Windows 7 also seems to be packing heat: Unit sales of Windows 7 were 234 percent greater than Vista's during the first few days of release for both operating systems, according to The NPD Group. Windows 7, which like India had its U.S. debut on Oct. 22, generated 82 percent more revenue than Vista's first few days on the market.

Windows 7's total revenue for the week of Oct. 18-24, including presales, was impacted by early discounts and a lack of promotional activity for the Windows 7 Ultimate version, according to NPD.