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Earnings Report: Go Ahead, Call Microsoft "M$"
Posted by Matt Buchanan at 9:20 AM on January 25, 2008
Apple wasn't the only one balling this quarter on the back of new computer sales. Microsoft's profits were up a huge 79 percent against last year to hit US$6.48 billion (on record revenues of US$16.37 billion), mostly thanks to people snapping up Vista-loaded computers (whether they want the OS or not).
Almost unbelievably, Vista licenses have passed the 100 million mark. Microsoft has also moved over 17.7 million Xbox 360s total, growing the install base by over 70 percent from the year before (pre-Halo 3). Even with Bill G on the way out, things don't look so bad from this side of Ballmer. [Microsoft]
Comments (AU Comments · US Comments)
There are currently no AU comments for this post.
Ron-Mexico
Posted 10:12 AM 25/1/08
@FLSKYDIVER
Actually their stock has been surprisingly dead for many years now despite strong earnings. Only recently has it finally started getting some momentum again.
[finance.yahoo.com]
If you had one of their earnings reports and took out the word 'Microsoft' and replaced it with the words 'Apple' or 'Google' most of the tech news/blogging community would be passed out in a state or orgasmic glee. They definitely make some serious $$$
Ron-Mexico
werk
Posted 10:12 AM 25/1/08
snark snark snarkety snark M$ snark
werk
marm0lade
Posted 10:12 AM 25/1/08
WHERE HAVE ALL THE APPLE FAN-BOIS GONE???????
Ohhh that's right, they are playing their xbox 360s.
HAHAHAHA!!!
marm0lade
israeli
Posted 10:12 AM 25/1/08
you guys really dont niss a chance to bag on microsoft, even in a post about how well their doing......
israeli
FLskydiver
Posted 10:12 AM 25/1/08
Hate on Microsoft all you like, but owning their stock sure is sweet (Wish I'd had some).
FLskydiver
x23
Posted 7:02 PM 24/1/08
did they actually make money on those Xbox 360s this time though? they do have the production costs lower than sale price by now don't they? i suppose they made a ton on 360 software this year as well.
x23
yoyi2k
Posted 6:56 PM 24/1/08
@P3nnst8r: you really don't have a clue about Windows, do you?...
yoyi2k
P3nnst8r
Posted 6:48 PM 24/1/08
It prob helped that most people went out and bought XP after finding out how horrible Vista was.
P3nnst8r
crazysamz
Posted 6:42 PM 24/1/08
I love MS products... Vista, windows mobile, windows home server (must_get_server!), xbox 360, Zune, etc. etc. etc. They deliver what you asked for.
crazysamz
rednecktech
Posted 6:23 PM 24/1/08
I must have read this post differently than some of the other commentors. It doesn't look to me like Giz is saying anything bad about MS.
rednecktech
PynkFloydd
Posted 8:16 PM 24/1/08
I love how a few months ago the die-hard Apple supporters were linking (baseless) articles that showed Apple catching up to MS in a few years. Where is your god now fanboys?!
I'm pretty sure the middle-class crunch is going to show a larger effect on Apple in the coming months. Coach and a few other companies geared towards the middle class already lamented on their troubles.
PynkFloydd
ajadoniz
Posted 8:05 PM 24/1/08
for those of you looking for the M$ dis here it is: "Almost unbelievably".
ajadoniz
rimplestultskin
Posted 9:14 PM 24/1/08
woah woah woah. wait one fucking second.
vista has outsold the xbox 360? microsoft's biggest currently-for-sale dissappointment has shipped 100 million copies, and the halo-playing, gamerscore-counting goodness that is the xbox 360 has only shipped 17.7 million? it's really fucking sad that that's true, no offense to any vista fanboys or xbox haters out there, i think vista is further proof that microsoft under ballmer will be an even worse dark age, and that the 360 is a fun toy that microsoft didn't screw up on too much. the real vista question is how many vista customers actually wanted it, and how many just got it included with their PC? because i know only one person who's really happy with vista, and countless people who dread the day when their next PC (or for the mac owners i know, their next upgrade of boot camp) will bring in the new and take away all their system resources.
i guess the shareholders might like the numbers, though...
and call me a hater, but microsoft under steve ballmer is going to be worse than hell. as expensive as jumping ship may be, i'm craving a mac more and more every day.
rimplestultskin
Mandatory_Field
Posted 8:44 PM 24/1/08
"mostly thanks to people snapping up Vista-loaded computers (whether they want the OS or not)."
Hahahahahahahaha! Don't Journalists and bloggers ever get tired of the same tired "nobody wants it and they're replacing it with the old one" stories with _every_ new MS OS release? Sheesh, people, check your history. You said the same things when XP replaced Win2k and '98....
That's like SJVN's lame "Ok, THIS is the year of the Linux Desktop" every single frikkin year....
Mandatory_Field
martin54
Posted 3:12 PM 25/1/08
@SchruteBuck: Lol. So true dwight, so true...
martin54
sdonham
Posted 3:12 PM 25/1/08
@RIMPLESTULTSKIN
Agreed wholeheartedly. I'm still pissed I had to buy Vista - was forced to buy Vista - despite my phone calls to the computer manufacturer that I wanted XP or Ubuntu. Vista was so slow and a memory hog and most of my peripherals have no drivers for Vista, that I had no choice but to uninstall Vista and purchase a copy of XP!!!! I'm betting there are tons of people just like me who felt strong-armed into purchasing that crap because the manufactures offered NO alternative.
Man I'm heated now...
sdonham
SchruteBuck
Posted 3:12 PM 25/1/08
@rimplestultskin: "i'm craving a mac more and more every day." You and 5.4 percent of Americans.
SchruteBuck
Dooga
Posted 3:12 PM 25/1/08
@yoyi2k:
Haha, I thought it was funny.
Dooga
ShadowUnit
Posted 11:43 PM 24/1/08
I don't really get all the Vista bashing. I got it with a new computer a few months ago and I have not had any real problems with it. It is definitly a step up from XP, however I would never have bought it as an upgrade to an old computer. It only worth it if your buying a new PC with atleast 2 gigs of ram. That is my opinion for just about every OS btw.
ShadowUnit
Ion_Predator
Posted 11:29 PM 24/1/08
I don't know. My experience with Vista vastly improved after I reformatted my Vista computer. I still prefer XP, but I'm open to the idea of having Vista.
Ion_Predator
sdonham
Posted 7:12 PM 25/1/08
@capitalass: Exactly, which is why I ended up returning the laptop that came with Vista. 2G of RAM, multiple cores, I don't need that in my laptop because I couldn't give two shts about Aero. All I wanted was something powerful enough to run Visual Studio and a few basic desktop apps. Give me the faster processor with less resource hog so that I may actually see the performance increase.
I don't mean to bash Vista, and I understand Microsoft's need to move people away from XP, but at the moment, there NEEDS to be more alternatives. Vista simply does not work well for me and XP did. Why force people to buy something that doesn't work, when a perfectly good solution already exists.
sdonham
capitalass
Posted 7:12 PM 25/1/08
oh yeah, the sony did cost about $1700 at the time. 1.2ghz, 512meg, 30 gig hd, discreet graphics...vs. 1.6ghz core duo, 1 gig ram, 80 gig hd, integrated graphics.
Most of the specs on the compaq far excelled the Sony (though not by four years), but the OS and bundled software crippled it. Hell, while we remain at the same level of productivity, microsoft makes a killing.
capitalass
capitalass
Posted 7:12 PM 25/1/08
I think one of the major problems related to Vista, though there are many, has to do with the fact that most people are buying those $600 laptops with aero enabled and bloated with useless software. Vista is far from mature and is quite the resource hog, esp. with a cheap laptop that houses a small drive, little memory, integrated, well, everything, etc. I know someone who bought a $500 compaq that seems slower new than a four year old sony xp laptop, maintained by someone who knows not to install unneeded software vs. a new laptob subsidized by crapware...
capitalass
NeoPoliticus
Posted 11:12 PM 25/1/08
Gee, you mean monopolies can be profitable? And all it takes is forcing us to upgrade to their latest, slow, bug-riddled bloatware.
The only hope for the future of computing - in our lifetime - is to break Microsoft up.
NeoPoliticus
LoganSix
Posted 12:12 AM 26/1/08
I don't believe Microsoft provides dividends, so the only real benefit of having Microsoft stock is to sell it. With all the money they make, you think they would step up and give dividends, like IBM does.
LoganSix
P3nnst8r
Posted 9:05 AM 25/1/08
@yoyi2k:
I keed! Believe me, i own Vista as well, but for now i need to take baby steps, and those baby steps just happen to fall on whenever new service packs get released =o)
P3nnst8r
sdonham
Posted 12:43 PM 25/1/08
@LoganSix: Microsoft provides dividends.
sdonham
benitocarmona
Posted 10:13 AM 26/1/08
I love XP and I just happen to buy my new PC and laptop for this year they came with Vista on both. I formated and uninstalled all that crapware installed some memory, i like the way Vista responds no crashes and good visuals.
benitocarmona
manguero
Posted 1:35 AM 26/1/08
well i got a laptop a few months ago. the only option was vista of course, and i didn't really want it...
but actually, i like it, and haven't had any problems. i wouldn't bother upgrading from xp, but it's fine for a new one.
i think a lot of the bashing is based on what people have heard, or the simple fact of having to change to a new OS, or as someone else suggested, people buying underpowered computers with bloatware.
i tell you, people complained that windows didn't look as pretty as apple's OSes. so ms made everything nice and pretty in vista--but that requires more resources. so now people complain that windows uses more resources.
(by the way, you can disable aero.)
manguero