Microsoft, accounts suffer from Surface RT - Computer Point

Into Redmond continues to grind profits but is forced to deal with the crisis in the PC market and the rejection of tablet-convertible ARM Surface RT by the market. No update on the number of licenses sold of Windows 8

Rome – Even it’s time for Microsoft to communicate financial performance at the end of the fiscal quarter, quarter in the case of Redmond coincides with the end of fiscal 2013 and then with the final status of the business of the products for PCs, tablets, smartphones and everything.

The fourth quarter of 2013, says Microsoft, closed with a turnover of 19.90 billion – an increase of 10 percent compared to the same period last year. The profits amounted to 4.97 billion (59 cents per share), a significant increase that is no longer constrained – as in 2012 – to pay $ 6.2 billion due to the acquisition of aQuantive in 2007.

As for the overall annual performance in 2013, Microsoft has confiscated 77.85 billion dollars in revenue with net profit of 26.74 billion . Also positive individual divisions of the business of Redmond, with Windows that grows in quarterly sales by 6 percent and take home $ 4.4 billion, the the Business (inclusive of Office) that the fourth quarter is worth 7.2 billion (+14 per cent) and the Xbox division in June celebrates the 30th consecutive month top-selling (hardware and software) in the U.S. market, with revenues of $ 1.9 billion (up 7.5 percent).

There is also increased the flow of money from the fund Windows Phone , although in this case Microsoft is forced to admit that the $ 222 million in the fourth quarter should be attributed also (especially) to license agreements with narrow the various manufacturers for the grant of use of patents in its possession.

Commenting on the financial results, Microsoft explains that the business must necessarily cope with the downward readjustment of sales in the PC market but at the same time can benefit of a “strong demand” for the enterprise offerings and cloud services such as Office 365 (productivity suite for rent telematics), Skype, network gaming and entertainment Xbox Live, Outlook.com.

everything ok? Perhaps, nay: in 2013 the accounts Microsoft have suffered a massive blow to U.S. $ 900 million for unsold units of Surface RT , tablet-convertible ARM equipped with a version of “reduced” in Windows 8 which was rejected by the market.

An estimated 6 million units of well-RT Surfarce left to rot in the warehouse, a number that raises doubt about the action Microsoft confirms what the bet to bring Windows 8 on ARM CPU – leaving out the door compatibility with traditional x86 PC applications – both fared much worse forecasts. Finally, there is the mystery of Windows 8, with Microsoft and just include the offer to update Windows Upgrade in the statement of earnings but does not provide updated numbers on the total number of licenses sold to users, and (especially) to OEMs. Appointment to the next episode?

Alfonso Maruccia