Vista to Cost Consumers $72 Billion, Research Suggests

According to VAR Business Magazine (VAR), Microsoft recently commissioned an independent research firm to determine the impact of their upcoming (January 30) general release of Vista on the computer industry.

The answer? $72 Billion! That's the conservative US Dollar amount Microsoft Vista is going to cost the consumers when they upgrade their systems.

However, the figure is likely to be much higher. VAR suggested that $18 in hardware, software, and services would be spent for every $1 Microsoft makes from Vista alone. Every PC component and system manufacturer wants their piece of the 'windfall'.

The figure was calculated by determining the cost of additional memory, bigger and faster hard drives, better display adapters, and new replacement systems that will be required by the Flagship Operating Systems. The only problem is there are a lot of PCs in use that don't even come up to the 'standard' used as a benchmark for the calculations.

Go figure.

Most of us plod along with systems that run on 256 MB of RAM (the 'standard' was 512 MB), drive capacities are all over the map, and there are a ton of 24-bit display adapter cards that will need to be replaced with 32-bit cards. The actual dollar amount is going to be much higher.

Looking at it from the hardware side of things, we will soon need a system built around something like Intel's Duo-2 processor (the CPU current retails for $960+ alone), 1 GB of RAM (up to $300+), and a high quality display adapter card can run as high as $300+. That doesn't include the cost of whichever version of Vista you decide to buy.

The only question I have to ask is how many of us are going to throw our money into the 'Vista' bucket?

If you are in the enviable position of having a system that is ready for Vista, you have already made your contribution, but the rest of us will be required to upgrade. I have this mental picture of a herd of sheep being surrounded by a large pack of wolves. Anybody have some wolvesbane handy?