backtop

Print E-mail del.icio.us 38 comment(s) - last by Oregonian2.. on May 1 at 2:13 PM
Microsoft's Q3 profits rise 65%

The fiscal third quarter was very kind to software giant Microsoft. The company witnessed a 32 percent increase in revenue to $14.4 billion USD, operating income of $6.59 billion USD and net income of $4.93 billion USD. Earnings per share also jumped 72 percent to $0.50.

"I am extremely pleased that we delivered a quarter of strong double-digit growth for revenue, operating income and EPS," said Microsoft CFO Chris Liddell, chief financial officer at Microsoft. "And I am looking forward to a very good finish to this fiscal year with strength continuing into fiscal 2008."

The strong performance from Microsoft in Q3 can be attributed to the launch of Windows Vista and Office 2007. The two products were heavily promoted and launched on January 30.

But while Microsoft did well overall, the Entertainment and Devices Division (EDD) saw its revenue fall during the quarter. The EDD’s operating loss dropped from $402 million USD to $315 million USD. Revenues, however, also dropped 21 percent during the quarter to $929 million USD.

Poor sales of the Xbox 360 were blamed for the lower performance. "EDD revenue decreased during the three months ended March 31, 2007 primarily because of decreased Xbox 360 console sales," Microsoft reported in its 10-Q filing. "During the quarter, we shipped 0.5 million Xbox 360 consoles as compared to 1.7 million consoles in the third quarter of fiscal year 2006, which was the first full quarter of Xbox 360 console sales. Xbox and PC game revenue decreased $393 million or 44% during the three months ended March 31, 2007 due to the decrease in console sales." Microsoft has shipped over 11 million Xbox 360s since its November 2005 launch.

The Xbox 360, however, wasn't the only culprit during Q3. Microsoft cited expenses related to its Zune launch as adding to the operating loss. Microsoft's Zune -- its first home-brewed competitor for the iPod -- was launched in November and is expected to pass the one million shipped mark in June. The company also attributed some of the blame to "increased Xbox 360 console warranty expenses." The company boosted the console's warranty to one-year in December 2006 and just recently announced a more flexible warranty program for owners.

Microsoft forecasts that EDD revenue for fiscal 2007 will be up year-to-year thanks to increased Xbox 360 shipments and increased Zune sales. The company’s rumored flash-based Zune could be instrumental in such gains.

Comments     Threshold


This article is over a month old, voting and posting comments is disabled
And nothing will change
By Jack Ripoff on 4/27/2007 9:47:09 AM , Rating: 5
The old saying that "Sony will make more compact things, Apple will make more beautiful things, Microsoft will make more money" still holds true...




RE: And nothing will change
By Master Kenobi (blog) on 4/27/07, Rating: 0
RE: And nothing will change
By BladeVenom on 4/27/2007 7:47:27 PM , Rating: 3
You mean like PlaysForSure and Zune?


RE: And nothing will change
By Axbattler on 4/27/2007 12:13:10 PM , Rating: 4
I don't know if I would describe Apple products as being beautiful (groovy in a neutral way for me).. but I can nod to the other two :)


RE: And nothing will change
By encryptkeeper on 4/27/2007 2:38:38 PM , Rating: 2
Didn't know this was an 'old' saying. It's true though.


RE: And nothing will change
By GaryJohnson on 4/27/2007 3:06:56 PM , Rating: 5
quote:
Sony will make more compact things...

I dunno about that; take a look at a PS3 vs. a PS2 slim.
http://www.flickr.com/photo_zoom.gne?id=79330165&s...

quote:
...Apple will make more beautiful things...

If you're in to the whole 'recycled-stormtrooper-armor' look.


Elite may have more demand then expected...
By d0gb0y on 4/27/2007 10:38:07 AM , Rating: 4
A possibility for lower sales may indicate more demand for the new Elite SKU. I know if I was going to pay $400, another $80 wouldn't be that outrageous. Despite what most poster think, the lack of HDMI 1.3 and smaller processor really does not matter that much to the majority of the people out there. I have 3 HDTV’s with HDMI / DVI-D with HDCP, but not one would use the extra features 1.3 has over 1.2. I guess we'll see in a month or two if MS touts the Elite as a success or not.

On a side note, I'm glad they are losing money on warranty issues. If a company does not feel the pain of the consumers, they will not change. I'm glad to hear they are trying to fix an issue they created, even if there is a cost to them. They could still be ignoring it.




By The Sword 88 on 4/27/2007 10:48:50 AM , Rating: 2
Its very true. If I didnt already hacea 360 from launch day I would buy an Elite. THe huge hard drive and the HDMI even if it is 1.2 would be a great setup for my HDTV and sound system


RE: Elite may have more demand then expected...
By Oregonian2 on 4/27/2007 1:44:25 PM , Rating: 2
I think a warranty is almost by definition a money losing operation. It's something that costs money to provide, but gets no income whatsoever for it as such (unless some financial wizard transfers some percentage of the purchase price revenue as the warranty department's "income"). Certainly it can be higher or lower than budget targets, but other than for things like "extended warranty" that has revenue attached to it, it's always a money loser.


RE: Elite may have more demand then expected...
By alifbaa on 4/27/2007 2:35:33 PM , Rating: 2
Warranties can increase sales and be a source of profit if they inspire consumer confidence in a product or enhance its value significantly. Of course, if you offer too generous of a warranty or are manufacturing an unreliable product, you will lose money. Ultimately, it's like advertising -- you have to spend money to make money. It's not a 1:1 relationship, so determining how much to spend is always a balancing act.

If you have a good product, you should be confident enough in its quality to guarantee its maintenance costs for a reasonable period of time. In the case of electronics, there is no reason why a well designed piece of hardware can't be expected to be maintenance free for at least a year in all but rare cases.

Of course, if you've designed a thermally unstable product, you can expect an accelerated failure rate. Microsoft never really came clean on this ongoing problem. To blame consumers for inadvertently putting a piece of entertainment equipment in entertainment cabinets next to a stack of DVDs doesn't cut it for me. Extending the warranty to 1 year went a long way, but I wonder about the longer term problems the 360 will face. I don't think customers should pay for thermal related problems within 2-3 years of purchase, if not a little more.


By Oregonian2 on 5/1/2007 2:13:19 PM , Rating: 2
I agree with your comments when talking about things from the global point of view. I was speaking about just the warrantee department of the organization not being a revenue generator. It, like the advertising department, are overhead expenses that are necessary so the operations department can roll in the revenue. So although it itself doesn't profit, it may contribute to making the operations department more profitable, and therefore the "net" more profitable.


RE: Elite may have more demand then expected...
By Ravenlore on 4/27/2007 3:00:45 PM , Rating: 3
Poor sales of the Xbox 360 were blamed for the lower performance.

Xbox stoped production over a year. And not many games came out after it. Xbox sold over 30MILLION. BUT the sales of Xbox360 sales have been lower at many times of the MONTHLY sales of Xbox, with some months being more. Still the Monthly sales have been around the same overall as the Xbox.

You would think that out of the 30Million that more people would have gotten an Xbox360 since Xbox is dead?

OR like myself people see no real advance from Xbox to Xbox360 and MS should not have killed it after ONLY 4 years. Looking at the number of people who are playig Halo 2 online still shows that it is most likely true.

Many people may skip Xbox 360 and get the Next Xbox in 2009 or 2010 when it launches. I know it looks that way for myself unless MS or Sony get games that are different than last gen I am happy with my last gen consoles.

And unlike last gen I am not going to get all of them. Not to be a fanboy but just not as into spending all that money as I did before.


By nerdye on 4/28/2007 6:04:45 PM , Rating: 2
I agree, xbox1 was good system and still has life left in it, yet I admit playing ps2 on my hdtv looks but butt hole now. I was working for Microsoft playing xbox360 long before there was even xbox360 hardware, I currently own and like my 360, but am saddened that my xbox1 with my 50 games is not currently being supported, and even worse, are not guaranteed to be backwards compatible.


Less loss = more gain
By cochy on 4/28/2007 12:40:47 PM , Rating: 2
quote:
The EDD’s operating loss dropped from $402 million USD to $315 million USD.


I'm a little confused at this statement. If you go from an operating loss of $402 million to $315 million, you've actually increased profit by $87 million.




RE: Less loss = more gain
By nowayout99 on 4/29/2007 1:44:56 AM , Rating: 2
Doesn't make sense to say you've increased profit unless you actually profit. Less loss is accurate.


RE: Less loss = more gain
By cochy on 4/29/2007 2:03:13 AM , Rating: 2
Yes that's right. I should have said increased income or revenue. In any case those figures don't quite explain:

quote:
saw its revenue fall during the quarter.


Since their loss was less.


RE: Less loss = more gain
By cochy on 4/29/2007 2:05:41 AM , Rating: 2
Never mind, their expenses obviously dropped, since they lose less on each Xbox sale. I guess revenues dropped also.
Confusing at first glance. Anyway ignore me I'm way too tired lol.


Loss = Gain?
By bldckstark on 4/27/2007 12:21:43 PM , Rating: 2
I thought they lost money on the consoles. That would mean that if they sold less their losses would be less.

Yes, I know that they make up the loss in accessories, online content and games. That means that if the current owners are only creating positive income, and console sales create negative income, then how is it that slow sales of the console causes a larger loss? There is something going on with the accounting here that we don't have enough information to solve.




RE: Loss = Gain?
By sdsdv10 on 4/27/2007 1:14:23 PM , Rating: 3
I believe it is partially because they have continued to decrease the manufacturing costs on the Xbox 360. Say before they lost ~$100* on each console (*-note I just made this number up as an example) and there were able to reduce the loss to ~$25 or even break even ($0) on each Xbox, then they could sell less units while at the same time decrease their net loss. Does that make any sense?


Not That Strange
By ObscureCaucasian on 4/27/2007 11:09:40 AM , Rating: 2
Isn't this a traditionally slow quarter for the video game industry?




RE: Not That Strange
By ObscureCaucasian on 4/27/2007 11:14:29 AM , Rating: 2
Ohh boy, sorry guys I don't know how I managed that multipost feat, I'll blame it on my crappy connection and inability to delete


Has the 360 lost momentum already?
By tarv on 4/27/2007 6:41:59 PM , Rating: 2
It seems like the Wii is the only nex gen system that has really any momentum going for it. The 360 sales seem to be slowing down pretty fast. The PS3 has definitely underpeformed which explains the Kutagari retirement. Nintendo might actually be the next gen system leader. Who would have thought that could happen a couple years ago?




By OblivionMage on 4/28/2007 9:59:03 PM , Rating: 2
The Xbox 360 has been on the market for over a year now, and it is still selling. I should think that it is losing momentum because most people who really wanted one probably have one by now.

Regards,


..
By IceTron on 4/27/2007 5:36:30 PM , Rating: 1
In Soviet Russia, profits post you!




RE: ..
By nerdye on 4/28/2007 6:07:35 PM , Rating: 2
In America, we don't want to hear anymore damn, not funny "in Soviet Russia" comments! I didn't reduce your score tho, I ain't hater ppls.


o rly?
By dome1234 on 4/27/2007 10:16:14 AM , Rating: 2
shouldn't it read, less gaming lost = more overall profit?




Not That Strange
By ObscureCaucasian on 4/27/2007 11:09:41 AM , Rating: 2
Isn't this a traditionally slow quarter for the video game industry?




Not That Strange
By ObscureCaucasian on 4/27/2007 11:09:42 AM , Rating: 2
Isn't this a traditionally slow quarter for the video game industry?




Blame 360? how about Zune?
By nerdye on 4/28/2007 6:14:30 PM , Rating: 2
I agree in the fact that xbox360 sales have not been strong in the non video game selling months of past, but that is expected, its not as though ps3 is selling any better, and yes the wii is selling well, blah blah. But cmon, zune is piece of garbage, ya its screen is prettier than ipod video, but thats its only plus. My friend has gone through 4 zunes already rma'ng them as they malfunction, some don't turn off unless you throw it against a brick wall! I love xbox360, zune you smell of butt hole and of bad profits to boost!




Q3 = July-September
By Flunk on 4/27/07, Rating: -1
RE: Q3 = July-September
By Brandon Hill (blog) on 4/27/2007 10:32:46 AM , Rating: 6
How about re-reading the article? ;-)

"fiscal third quarter"

quote:
A fiscal year (or financial year or accounting reference date) is a 12-month period used for calculating annual ("yearly") financial reports in businesses and other organizations. In many jurisdictions, regulatory laws regarding accounting require such reports once per twelve months, but do not require that the twelve months constitute a calendar year (i.e. January to December). The financial results presented to shareholders are therefore a "photograph" of company's accounts at the accounting reference date. Although Sept. seems to be the most popular ending month, it must be understood that the end date varies between businesses and countries.

quote:
Often the fiscal or tax year is specifically established not to match the calendar year so that accounting year-end work does not coincide with periods of high activity (e.g., the Christmas shopping rush for retailers -- see below) or with holiday periods when employees may prefer to take vacation.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fiscal_year


RE: Q3 = July-September
By scamsel on 4/27/2007 10:38:02 AM , Rating: 2
fiscal 3rd quarter ding dong. figure out where you should get a business sense and do it.


RE: Q3 = July-September
By Frazzle on 4/27/2007 10:50:41 AM , Rating: 5
Your username is Flunk?

LOL at the irony.


RE: Q3 = July-September
By therealnickdanger on 4/27/2007 11:13:30 AM , Rating: 3
*applause*


RE: Q3 = July-September
By mikecel79 on 4/27/2007 11:10:26 AM , Rating: 2
I really wanted to rate you down but replying to your comment is more fun.

Re-read the article and figure out what you read wrong (hint: "fiscal 3rd quarter") and fix it.


RE: Q3 = July-September
By chick0n on 4/27/07, Rating: -1
RE: Q3 = July-September
By encryptkeeper on 4/27/2007 1:05:28 PM , Rating: 2
hahah some dumbass got owned

Just another day here at DT!


"It seems as though my state-funded math degree has failed me. Let the lashings commence." -- DailyTech Editor-in-Chief Kristopher Kubicki

DailyTech Poll
Which web browser do you use on your primary personal machine? 






44 Comments









botimage
Copyright 2009 DailyTech LLC. - RSS Feed | Advertise | About Us | Ethics | FAQ | Terms, Conditions & Privacy Information | Kristopher Kubicki