Windows 7 sales are strong since its launch but with less PC sales and increased competition from several operating systems, the question arises would Windows be able to survive. Apple currently reported one of its best quarters ever, and interest is high in recent and future products rolling out of Cupertino. Then there's the current launch of the new Linux distribution, Ubuntu 9.10 and there is also the pressure from Google Chrome OS, scheduled for launch in the second half of next year.

Windows 7 by the Numbers

Over the first few days of its availability, Windows 7's U.S. sales were 234 percent higher as compared to Vista sales over a same time period. But to get there, Microsoft had to go the extra mile and provide what were, by Microsoft standards, some deep discounts. Corresponds to market research firm NPD group, the average selling price of Windows 7 Home Premium Upgrade was $76 which is significantly less than the advertised presale price of $120. By comparison, the original preorder price tag to migrate to Windows Vista Home Premium was $160 in 2007.

Despite all these discounts, PC sales are less, down 6 percent compared to Vista's release period. These can be due to number of factors including the availability of other editions of Windows (XP and Vista), which NPD says made up 20 percent of computer sales during the Windows 7 sales, as well as the hesitation among Vista owners to buy another new computer after migrating just a few years ago.

Apple Growing

Earlier this year, Apple launched its own updated operating system, Snow Leopard, which also saw a good increase in sales. NPD Group meapple snow leopard os xasured the new Mac OS' performance over a two-week period, and it is reported that Snow Leopard sales were more than double its predecessor, Leopard, over the time frame. Currently, Apple reported that sales for its Mac computers increases by 17 percent during the third quarter of 2009 as compared to the similar quarter in 2008.

The Linux Gang

Microsoft has to worry not only about Apple but Linux too. Ubuntu, one of the world's most famous Linux distributions, currently released its latest edition, Ubuntu 9.10, and impressions about the new OS are largely positive. It has been reported that Linux edition is finally ready for widespread adoption. But Ubuntu 9.10 does provide elevated compatibility with peripheral hardware such as printers and scanners, there are a huge variety of available applications for the OS, and Ubuntu is absolutely free making it a significantly cheaper alternative to Windows.

Then there's Google's coming Linux-based OS alternative, called Google Chrome OS, but nobody's really sure what the latest system will be able to do. But given recent interest, Chrome OS could be a big hit when it will debuts next year.

With so much variety in the world of the operating system, Microsoft dominance is threatened. For the moment, Windows is still the dominant operating system in the U.S., but it is slowly losing market share to Apple, Linux and others.