Microsoft Touts Vista's Economic Impact

According to a new IDC report commissioned by Microsoft, Windows Vista will generate more than $70 billion in revenues for Microsoft's US-based partners in its first year of availability alone. IDC said that for every dollar Microsoft earns on Vista in 2007, the IT industry will earn $18. Vista will also be responsible for 100,000 new jobs in the United States in 2007.

"It's surprising how extensively Microsoft software ripples out through the ecosystem," said IDC's Chief Research Officer and Senior Vice President John Gantz, who cowrote the Microsoft report. "Our research indicates that Windows Vista will infuse new energy into the market in its first 12 months of availability, driving important job and economic growth through new industry revenues."

According to IDC, Microsoft will see revenue increases of about $3.9 billion in 2007 because of Vista. Enterprises and other IT firms are expected to invest approximately $10 billion in 2007 for Vista and related products and services.

IDC also said that Microsoft should sell at least 90 million copies of Vista in 2007, which is more than the 67 million copies of Windows XP that sold during XP's first year. Vista sales will go only up after the first year: IDC expects Microsoft to sell more than 150 million copies of Vista in 2008 (including 35 million copies in the United States alone), 170 million in 2009, and more than 200 million in 2010.