Microsoft reports record second quarter earnings amid Windows decline
- Thursday, 19 January 2012 15:15
Software giant Microsoft has posted its earnings results for the second quarter of its 2012 financial year. It was another record-breaking quarter for the company, buoyed by strong holiday season demand. Revenue for the quarter was $20.89 billion, up 5 percent year over year. Operating income and net income were both down, at $7.99 billion and $6.62 billion, drops of 2 percent and less than one percent respectively. Earnings per share were up 1 percent to $0.78 per share.
The Windows and Windows Live Division's performance declined. Revenue was $4.74 billion, down 6 percent year over year. This was due to a weak PC market; it declined by between 2 and 4 percent, which Microsoft is attributing to the hard disk shortage, economic uncertainty, and "competing form factors" (which is to say, tablets). Though the market as a whole fell, this drop was limited to consumer purchases. The business PC market was up 2 percent; the consumer PC market dropped 6 percent.
