Microsoft has announced that Windows 7 sales now exceed 90 million since its release late in 2009, making it the fastest selling operating system in history.

In the meantime, Microsoft has officially announced the sales target for the latest version of the Windows client, and, while extremely high, it is in no way beyond the company’s reach. Speaking at the CeBIT Global Conference, in Hanover, Germany, Microsoft Chief Operating Officer Kevin Turner revealed that the software giant aimed to sell in excess of 300 million copies of Windows 7 by the end of 2010.

Industry observers argue that the 300-million mark is a realist goal, considering Windows 7’s success on the market so far. “When you think about Windows 7, the most successful operating system we’ve ever released in our history. It’s the highest-quality operating system we’ve ever released in our history,” Turner said. “This year they will sell 300-plus million PCs. That’s what the forecast is. You know what, Windows will be on 300 million of those PCs this year and that’s an incredible statement to that particular product and the opportunity that we have to continue to work with customers and end users and consumers, as well as refresh the desktops for enterprises.”

Data from Net Applications, states that Windows 7 already climbed to approximately 9% of the operating system market. Net Applications is an Internet metrics company and this percentage is on par with the 90 million licenses Microsoft sold.

Louise Mifsud, from Microsoft Malta, confirmed that the success of this operating system can also be confirmed at a local level. “We’re seeing quite a number of businesses and individuals who have chosen to maximise the efficiency that Windows 7 delivers through itself being the heart of a platform that enables customers to create an optimum infrastructure and deliver the solutions that their business needs to increase efficiency, whilst saving on cost”, commented Mifsud.