REDMOND, Wash. — Dec. 10, 2006 — A research study released today by International Data Corporation (IDC) and commissioned by Microsoft Corp. shows that the Windows Vista™ operating system will drive significant economic growth in the United States in its first year of shipment. The study’s findings indicate that Windows Vista will provide a foundation for the information technology market moving forward, creating more than 100,000 new jobs and driving $70 billion or more in revenues for Microsoft’s partners and the industry at large. Windows Vista, together with the 2007 Microsoft® Office system, was made available on Nov. 30 to volume licensing customers and will be broadly available on Jan. 30.
“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,” said John F. Gantz, chief research officer and senior vice president of IDC, and author of the study. “Relatively rapid and widespread adoption of Windows Vista means that its launch will not only affect Microsoft, but will also have a positive impact on local economies throughout the world.”
Partner Investment Leads to New Revenue and Growth
The impact of Windows Vista on the U.S. market will drive substantial revenue and growth for many companies that are part of the Windows® ecosystem — companies that sell hardware, write software, provide IT services or serve as IT distribution channels. Today’s study forecasts that the release of Windows Vista will help bolster the more than 200,000 U.S. IT companies that will produce, sell or distribute products and services running on Windows Vista, including many small, locally owned businesses. The study forecasts that each dollar of Windows Vista-related revenue earned by Microsoft in 2007 will generate more than $18 in revenue for the IT industry at large.
The IDC study also shows that the Microsoft ecosystem is making a sizable investment to prepare for and roll out Windows Vista worldwide. IDC expects Microsoft partners to invest approximately $10 billion in Windows Vista-related products and services between now and the end of 2007. As these products and services gain mass-market adoption over the course of the next year, IDC expects Microsoft’s partners and others in the IT industry to generate more than $70 billion in revenues directly tied to Windows Vista. This includes revenue from manufacturers that sell hardware running the new operating system, revenues for non-Microsoft software packages built to run on Windows Vista, and services supporting Windows Vista.
“AMD shares Microsoft’s drive to create industry growth through innovation,” said Stephen DiFranco, corporate vice president of Consumer Sales and Marketing at Advanced Micro Devices Inc. (AMD). “The success of AMD’s business is predicated on the success of our customers’ businesses. Windows Vista, AMD64 processors and AMD graphics processors enable original equipment manufacturers to deliver a smarter choice through differentiated products and powerful end-user experiences that increase demand for laptops, desktops, servers, and other computing and consumer electronic devices.”
“Companies we’ve talked to have seen major revenue increases through streamlined business process workflows, improved responsiveness to customer requests, shortened time to market and improved sales team win rates,” said Don Jones, global alliance executive for the Microsoft Alliance at Capgemini.
“Integrated support in Windows Vista for DWF technology democratizes access to CAD data, by making it possible for engineers and designers to share the right information with the right people at the right time,” said Amar Hanspal, vice president of Autodesk Collaboration Solutions at Autodesk Inc. “Working with Microsoft, we’re liberating our customers from paper-based sharing and proprietary software that might otherwise limit use and cause costly project or product delays due to lack of clarity or insight.”
“It is exciting to see the level of investment partners are putting behind Windows Vista, because this investment will create opportunities for people, businesses and economies,” said Brad Goldberg, general manager for the Windows Client Product Management Group at Microsoft. “Windows Vista illustrates the powerful economic impact Microsoft’s innovation can have for our partners and the IT industry.”
The complete IDC study on the economic impact of Windows Vista is available at http://www.microsoft.com/presspass/itanalyst/docs/IDCVistaEcoImpactDec2006.pdf.
Founded in 1975, Microsoft (Nasdaq “MSFT”) is the worldwide leader in software, services and solutions that help people and businesses realize their full potential.
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