But if you are not a technologist who specializes in virtualization, the Nehalem launch may seem ho-hum.

"We see the Intel Core i7 processors as playing a significant role in the advent of virtualization and cloud initiatives, while still maintaining a focus on power conservation," says Matt Murphy, director of professional services at The I.T. Pros, a managed services provider. "[But] I would say the excitement is more centered around the immediate technology integrators, and less around the business consumers."

The Intel Nehalem EP Xeon launch hadn’t registered on managed services provider Jenaly President MJ Shoer’s radar, either. “I haven’t heard boo about this launch," he says.

When it comes to products he expects will boost sales, Shoer is more excited about the coming Windows 7 launch this year.

“Our testing shows it to be a very fast, efficient and stable operating system, so anyone who has held back on upgrades because of Vista may very well be enticed to take the plunge based on that,” Shoer says. “I think it will fuel some activity in the market, but that being said, we haven’t really seen a significant hold back on upgrades in our space because of this. I expect it will only help, and who knows, it may even fuel a faster recovery as it comes to market.”