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PressPass: Please provide us with a real world example of how Windows Vista and the 2007 Office system can expand consumer choices and industry opportunities.

Courtois: Experience has shown that major releases of Windows result in vast industry growth. Windows Vista will be Microsoft’s largest operating system launch to date, driving software application development to new levels and supporting the growth of local software economies.

Microsoft’s customer and partner ecosystem has been preparing for the upcoming release for months. According to an IDC study released in Sept. 2006, Windows Vista will be installed on more than 30 million computers in six key European markets — Denmark, France, Germany, Poland, Spain and the UK – in its first year of availability, and 105 million worldwide. This installed base will provide a market for application developers, systems integrators and other companies that produce, sell or distribute products or services running on Windows Vista. For example, FWBS is a UK-based document management company with extensive experience working with Microsoft and is leveraging both the new versions of Windows and Office to competitive advantage. And Meta4, from Spain, hopes to enter new markets with their Windows Vista-based human capital management solution that enables companies to access vital employee information online and offline.