Microsoft Earnings Down by 14-percent MSFT's Third Consecutive Decline in Quarterly Revenue, But Profits Beat Expectations

We're not much into earnings and sales, but when it's Microsoft
publishing their third consecutive decline in quarterly revenue,
something clicks and we're intrigued. After making the official
announcement for Windows 7 yesterday, today the business brains from
MSFT have taken the time to report on the company's total revenue, which
dropped by 14-percent year-over-year to $12.92 billion (compared to
$15.06 billion, last year).

The biggest loser was the company's Windows division, which fell by
$2,62 billion in revenue. Second best was the Entertainment and
Devices group that takes care of the Zune, Windows Mobile or the Xbox,
where earnings went down by only $1.89 billion, despite stronger sales
for the discounted Xbox 360 and the Zune HD.

But things are not looking bad in Redmond as Microsoft said the revenue
decline doesn't entirely reflect its actual performance. Apparently
their cost saving policies have proved efficient and profits stayed
above what analysts expected — $3.57 billion, or 40 cents per
share, an 18 percent decline from $4.37 billion a year ago.

Meanwhile, Microsoft's Steve Ballmer has announced that Windows 7 will
only bring a slight sales boost to the company's revenue. Somehow, we
think different …