Holiday PC Sales Boost Microsoft

Microsoft Corp. said consumer demand for Windows 7 propelled a 60% increase in profit during the holiday quarter, in another sign of hope for the battered technology sector.

The world's largest software maker's results, which included a 14% rise in sales, were a welcome change after three quarters where sales fell from a year earlier. The turnaround in Microsoft's business was almost entirely due to the October launch of Windows 7, which lured consumers back to stores for copies of the software and new PCs running it, especially in markets like Asia and Latin America.

Microsoft executives cautioned they haven't yet seen a return to strong spending by businesses on Windows 7 and other products, though they reiterated earlier expectations of a recovery sometime this year. "This is the best launch of an operating system we've ever had," Peter Klein, chief financial officer, said in an interview.

Read Full Article from Wall Street Journal

- Posted: 2010-01-29 11:12:44

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