News - Microsoft profits plunge

[HEXUS]

Net income of $3.05 billion represents a 29 percent decline on the same period a year ago.

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[Singh400]

To be expected really, I think nearly every company (bar Google?) has seen a decrease in profits.

[Terbinator]

They'll be looking forward to October then.

[Hicks12]

They'll be looking forward to October then.

Exactly, microsoft would have slower sales during this because they have been spending alot on R+D for Windows 7 but all that will be regained within a few months i reckon. They did well to make an acceptable profit when R+D isnt cheap...

[shaithis]

Exactly, microsoft would have slower sales during this because they have been spending alot on R+D for Windows 7

Vista with a facelift....the R&D costs should be minimal as far as Micsrosoft are concerned.

[Jay]

oh dear... just bread and water for them from now on then.

[dangel]

Vista with a facelift....the R&D costs should be minimal as far as Micsrosoft are concerned.

Yup, cos 5000 engineers all work for peanuts. Nice to see a lone voice out there with some W7 hate btw - well done you!

[dfour]

This will actually make the EU fine actaully have some relevance (unless they can make it go away).

[shaithis]

Yup, cos 5000 engineers all work for peanuts. Nice to see a lone voice out there with some W7 hate btw - well done you!

No W7 hate at all.

Just saying, when you take a product and tweek it slightly, the R&D costs aren't going to be that big in the great scheme of things.

Funny how it flew through beta testing.....almost like there wasn't really much new to test.

But I guess you have to feel sorry for them though, a net income of only $3bn.........How would they have managed to cope without re-selling Vista as Windows 7?

[dangel]

No W7 hate at all.

Just saying, when you take a product and tweek it slightly, the R&D costs aren't going to be that big in the great scheme of things.

Funny how it flew through beta testing.....almost like there wasn't really much new to test.

But I guess you have to feel sorry for them though, a net income of only $3bn.........How would they have managed to cope without re-selling Vista as Windows 7?

Cynical, even for you
Reselling win2k as xp by the same logic? Are you saying MS' dev team have basically twiddled their thumbs for 3 years? And how do my R&D cost reduce if I spend 3 years paying people to do nothing versus 3 years to rewrite everything? Anyway, bastards eh? How dare they shunt out a solid, fast OS! I can see why it urks thee so..

[Infinite]

Profits are still profits.....

[Lee H]

Anyone got their figures for xbox 360 sales, games and xbox live subscriptions ?

I'm pretty sure this is now making profit and I bet over the next few years we'll see their sales figures back to normal now more and more are signing up

[shaithis]

Reselling win2k as xp by the same logic?

We've been there before. I firmly beleive there was substantially more added to XP then there is to 7.

Are you saying MS' dev team have basically twiddled their thumbs for 3 years? And how do my R&D cost reduce if I spend 3 years paying people to do nothing versus 3 years to rewrite everything?

Why should the consumer pay for that? Oh that's right, because Microsofts stanglehold on the market allows them that luxery.


It's times like these when they could do a huge amount of goodwill.....but instead of doing the decent thing and making W7 the service pack it should have been, they decided to get clever with marketing and sell it as a new product and even do a special introductory offer and add family packs to make the blind masses think they are getting a good deal.

Genius marketing - hats off. Shame those that can see through it are made even more contemptuous of Microsoft.

[latrosicarius]

dangel, I think you both have good points, but I'd tend to agree more with shaithis. But then again, who am I?

[Hicks12]

but they only have a hold on the market cause people are lazy, there are alot of alternatives like linux (ubuntu etc) but people like using microsoft as they dont understand other operating systems so they stick with it, they should be allowed to milk that and at least it adds quite alot of changes from vista that are under laying in the code which you dont normally see so its probably unfair to say they did nothing.

Apple are just as bad but they are in a way worse because you dont have a choice you have to use their software AND hardware lol.

Its worth the price IMO i skipped vista and this is alot more refined so its great and worth it .

[dangel]

We've been there before. I firmly beleive there was substantially more added to XP then there is to 7.

Well we'll agree to disagree I think - I can see your pretty firmly entrenched and your entitled to your opinion

At the end of the day the 'blind masses' are buying because it's a *good* product - if it wasn't we'd see a repeat of the Vista debacle. I do agree the marketing is slick and I also think that MS ought to keep the intro prices around - especially in a recession and especially for home users. Fair?