46% of Windows 7 installs are 64bit, says Microsoft

Windows 7 is doing quite well helping out with 64bit adoption as Microsoft's Brandon LeBlanc has revealed that, out of all Win7 installs (which are over 150 million), 46% are of the 64bit version, the rest 54% being 32bit - in comparison just 11% of Vista installs are 64bit.

"The reason for the jump in transition to 64-bit PCs can be attributed to a few things," said LeBlanc on the Windows Team Blog. "The first is the price of memory has dropped over the last several years making it easier for OEMs to up the amount of memory in the PCs they ship. And most major processors in PCs today are capable of running a 64-bit OS. There are also more and more compatible devices and applications for PCs running 64-bit Windows 7."

46% is certainly a sweet percentage but the 64bit mania won't stop here as more and more consumers and businesses make the transition. Gartner predicts that, by 2014, 75% of all business PCs will be running a 64bit edition of Windows, while on the consumer side, certain markets, one example being the US, are already favoring 64bit. Despite the big push enabled by Windows 7, 64bit still has a long way to go to become the norm but it's getting there.