Going by initial retail-sale numbers, forwarded by the market research company NPD Group, for Microsoft's October 22-launched Windows 7 operating system, the new OS is, as expected, outperforming the disastrous Windows Vista version.

The Friday-released NPD report has revealed that, as per Microsoft statistics, the sales of the Windows 7 OS are 234 percent higher than those for the Windows Vista for the initial post-launch week. The reported figures do not include the Windows 7 sales figures for businesses and large organizations.

Despite the fact that Windows 7 has yielded lower revenue and has also failed to prompt the same heave in computer sales that the Windows Vista release had brought along, those figures have apparently been put in perspective, given the comparatively upbeat reviews.

Though it is still very early to gauge the success of the Windows 7 OS, the October release of the new OS, vis-à-vis the January release of the Vista in 2007, might further help Microsoft benefit from the forthcoming holiday season.

It is more than likely that users who merely want to possess the new Microsoft OS might be jumping on board right away, but customers who may be considering the purchase of a new system equipped with Windows 7 are probably waiting to cash in on for holiday bargains and Black Friday deals.