Ballmer: Windows 8 will be 'dawning' for Microsoft slates

Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer says that the Windows 8 operating system will bring about a new dawn for PCs and Windows-powered tablets.

Speaking at the Microsoft Worldwide Partner Conference (WPC) in Los Angeles, the big man also revealed that Windows 7 has become the fastest selling OS of all time.

He said: "Windows 8 really does represent a true re-imagining of Windows PCs and the dawning of Windows slates."

Windows CFO Tami Reller added: "We see a future with a heterogeneous enterprise environment of Windows 8 devices and apps alongside Windows 7 PCs and apps.

"At the heart of our ability to deliver Windows 8 is the flexibility Windows has consistently shown; its ability to adapt over time is what ensures Windows will continue to be highly relevant in the future."

The next Windows 8 announcement will come at Microsoft's BUILD conference in September this year.

Windows 7 record

Ballmer and Reller were speaking as Microsoft announced that it has sold a whopping 400m Windows 7 licenses, making it the fastest selling OS ever.

The record comes less than two years after Microsoft launched the Windows 7 OS in October 2009, and represents an astonishing comeback for the company following the disaster that was Windows Vista.

On its first birthday in October 2010, Microsoft revealed that 240m licenses had been sold, and that number has continued to rise proportionately by reaching the 400m mark.

Source: Seattle Times