How Microsoft Will Lift Us Out Of the IT-Spending Dumps

I was on a panel a few weeks ago with Rob Enderle and he was asked by an international journalist what he expected in terms of financial news in the next few months. He made a very interesting point that, being an Apple fanboy, I ignored at the time. He said that Windows 7 would drive a whole new wave of hardware buying and inflate (in a good way) IT spending. I filed this tidbit away next to my thoughts of maybe one day buying a Zune , but then I cracked open the HP Envy 13 and thought back on my own recent experience with Windows 7 — and what he's saying makes sense. A few calls later and I found that a number of IT guys I know are genuinely excited about installing Windows 7 in their shops, guys for whom Vista didn't even register. We're about see an IT renaissance, and it will be driven by Microsoft.