Windows 7 to save the economy?

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Let’s all thank Microsoft – sales of Windows 7 are set to be so strong, it will boost the entire IT sector and help the economy recover.

That prediction is from analyst firm IDC, which has published a report on the potential for Microsoft’s next OS to save us from the recession - all on its own.

"In the midst of an economic crisis, with most governments seeking economic stimulus to grow their economies, the launch of a major new operating system should be considered good news - a stimulus package in its own right," the report said.

The report – which is hosted on Microsoft’s online pressroom – showed the firm would sell 177 million copies of the well-reviewed Windows 7 OS, with 50 million copies sold in Europe.

From its launch in October of this year to the end of 2010, every dollar Microsoft makes will cause the IT sector to make $18.52 in revenue, IDC claimed. “During that period, this ecosystem will sell more than $320 billion in products and services revolving around Windows 7,” IDC predicted.

In Europe alone, IDC claimed that for every euro Microsoft makes off Windows 7, the EU IT world will gain ∈19.06 – so get spending, folks, it's for your own good. This is off the back of training, installation, increased hardware sales and other parts of the sector that are connected to software.

“[T]he impact of Windows 7 will reach far beyond Microsoft, driving revenues and growth for many of the IT companies worldwide that sell hardware, write software, provide IT services, or serve as IT distribution channels,” the report said. “This growth will do its bit to help economies around the world climb out of the current economic crisis.”

By the end of 2010, seven million people in the IT industry around the world will be using Windows 7 – that’s a fifth of the IT workforce – with 1.5 million in Europe. In fact, the analyst firm said Windows 7 will lead to the creation of 300,000 new jobs in client operating systems all on its own.

"Microsoft is more than the world's largest software company. It is an economic force that, through its ecosystem, directly impacts the economies in which it operates," the report said.

That said, the IDC report is contrary to a survey released earlier this week, which suggested businesses would hold off on upgrading to Windows 7 to save cash.

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