Mozilla may have reached the 1 billion mark a short while ago with Firefox (the browser has been downloaded more than 1 billion times since it was launched), but it is not the only one that can flaunt the billion number around. Microsoft can do that too with Windows Live Photos, the service launched this December that allows Windows Live users to upload images, download and print them, as well as use them to create slideshows. It seems that in the time Windows Live has been out there it managed to gather quite a considerable amount of photos.

“We hit a milestone for Windows Live Photos: one billion photos uploaded! This is a significant part of the more than seven billion photos posted on Windows Live today. While we’re excited about the number of photos uploaded, we’re even more excited that you’re taking so many photos and sharing them with your family and friends. As of this month, users have shared their photo albums over 250 million times! We think the best way to share your photos is with Windows Live Photos, and it’s great to see that so many of you do, too. We look forward to the next billion photos,” commented the Windows Live Photos team.

Just to put things in perspective, the Windows Live Photos team also provided some statistics. If for example a person takes 28 digital photos per month (that’s the average number of photos one takes each month according to a Forrester Research report), then it would take 5 years to reach the 1 billion mark. And that’s counting the entire population of Seattle, not just one person.

Or, if you were to set up a Windows Live account right this instant and you would upload 1 photo per second, you would reach the 1 billion mark in 2040 – that’s 31 years from now!

In related Windows Live news, the Windows Live Messenger team celebrated the IM client's 10th anniversary last month. And in further Windows Live-related news, Microsoft announced that Windows Live Events is going to shut down.