Crumbs
Rich T finds some tasty titbits you might have missed in the week's news
Friday 26 January 2007, 6:07 PM
Massaging the figures
One of my pet hates is massaged statistics. Now you might think that with a degree in Mathematics I might be fond of statistical manipulation.
But here my journalistic side digs in. Accurate statistics can be very useful. Manipulated, or massaged, stats are not.
So it is with a slightly suspicious angle that I read Microsoft's run of four Vista press releases. 'Vista expected to generate $2billion in new revenue for Massachusetts IT industry in 2007' claimed one, boldly. A similar predicted increase followed in another release about New Jersey. Then it was $4bn of new revenue for Florida. And $7bn for New York.
How much? How on earth did IDC, the analyst firm behind the research, come up with these figures?
"Massachusetts' IT industry will begin seeing considerable increases in new jobs and revenue," IDC's work finds.
"18% of total IT employment related to Vista," screams another bulletpoint.
This one makes me laugh. "Total Windows-related employment in Massachusetts is expected to jump by more than 5,000 jobs."
Please.
I've heard of the economic multiplier effect, and of course some folks will buy Vista. But if the US economy benefits by $2bn+ PER STATE, I will eat my hat.
And I reckon my headwear will be firmly intact right through 2007.
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