Wow! Microsoft has a great fiscal quarter

[Lloydbm41]

IF YOU DONT LIKE MICROSOFT OR READING ABOUT FINANCIAL INFO, SKIP THIS THREAD.

"Don't let the door hit you in the ass on the way out" is likely to be Ballmer's inscription on his farewell plaque. Glad that monkey is leaving.

Microsoft sold a ton of XBox Ones (4 million last quarter) and Windows 8 and Office 365 licenses, beating analysts revenue predictions by nearly 1 billion dollars! Stock is up nearly 4%. Surprisingly, Surface tablet sales doubled in Q2 over Q1! Didn't see that one coming. Don't know what the breakdown between RT and Pro was though, but glad to see Windows tablets are beginning to take off. And I personally like Windows 8.1.

Only downside was the purchase of Nokia, as they didn't sell very well this past quarter. (I did my part this past week in buying a Lumina 1520), and that should go on Microsoft's tab for Q3.

Link to full report: http://www.microsoft.com/en-us/news/press/2014/jan14/01-23fy14q2earningspr.aspx

 

[blackhand1001]

Windows 8.1 is definitely coming together nicely and 8.2 or whatever the next release they are working on will be called should improve it even more. The bay trail hybrids and tablets are going to be a strong force for Apple and Google to fight in the future. The only issue I see Microsoft facing is what to do with windows rt. They face a dilemma. Killing it off would upset people who bought rt devices. But on the other hand bay trail has pretty much eliminated any reason for rt to exist at all. I think a bay trail surface 2 would have been awesome.

 

[Rodster]

The XBOX ONE I believe helped those numbers as well.

 

[Liquorpuki]

You can never count out MS

Estimates on the Surface are about 1.5M-2M units sold but that depends on the RT/Pro breakdown, which nobody knows. For comparison the iPad is estimated to have sold 25M units the same quarter. All the Mac lines combined sold 4.6M units last quarter. But unlike Apple, MS also has OEM's and makes $$$ through licensing, not just first party hardware.

Surface Cost of Revenue is still > Revenue which means the Surface line is still in the red but a lot of it can be explained by the big advertising push. And the Surface's value isn't as a standalone product but a branding tool for W8 penetration.

The big story here is the turnaround, which is huge considering back in February people were calling it the tablet nobody wanted. It shows PC/tablet convergence might actually be gaining traction. You look at Apple's insistence on keeping PC/mobile separate and this could get interesting in the near future.

 

[Liquorpuki]

Windows 8.1 is definitely coming together nicely and 8.2 or whatever the next release they are working on will be called should improve it even more. The bay trail hybrids and tablets are going to be a strong force for Apple and Google to fight in the future. The only issue I see Microsoft facing is what to do with windows rt. They face a dilemma. Killing it off would upset people who bought rt devices. But on the other hand bay trail has pretty much eliminated any reason for rt to exist at all. I think a bay trail surface 2 would have been awesome.

Only reason I can think of them keeping RT is because they're not sure who's gonna win the ARM vs x86 war. RT keeps their foot in the door if ARM wins 10 years from now, even if a lot of us think it makes a bad product.

 

[Dekard]

We have 3 or 4 travelling sales people here in the office and they enjoy the Surface Pro's... I had one but found it limiting, but for what they use it for it's great.

 

[LIVEFRMNYC]

We have 3 or 4 travelling sales people here in the office and they enjoy the Surface Pro's... I had one but found it limiting, but for what they use it for it's great.

Just wondering how you found the Surface Pro limiting?

 

[Lloydbm41]

Just wondering how you found the Surface Pro limiting?

Yeah, I was wondering the same thing. The Pro IS a full on laptop with PC hardware and software.

Maybe he meant the RT (which is limited in hardware and software)?

----------

Only reason I can think of them keeping RT is because they're not sure who's gonna win the ARM vs x86 war. RT keeps their foot in the door if ARM wins 10 years from now, even if a lot of us think it makes a bad product.

I doubt it. Bay Trail is the future of Windows tablets (and Android tablets IMO). I think Microsoft is keeping the RT because it is their 'cheap' tablet. Once the Pro hits the $500 and under mark, there is no reason to keep the RT variants.

 

[Dekard]

Just wondering how you found the Surface Pro limiting?

I was going to use it as a tablet replacement/laptop/art machine. I couldn't really get used to drawing on the smaller screen. Photoshop, etc was hard to work in the corners of the screen, etc.. I enjoyed it though..

 

[MRU]

Well I'm enjoying my Surface Pro 2 so I added to those sales figures

 

[Liquorpuki]

I doubt it. Bay Trail is the future of Windows tablets (and Android tablets IMO). I think Microsoft is keeping the RT because it is their 'cheap' tablet. Once the Pro hits the $500 and under mark, there is no reason to keep the RT variants.

Bay Trail isn't in the Pro. Intel Core line is in the Pro.

That Core line chip itself is at least $200. Add the SSD, Wacom display and a profit margin, that thing is not going under $500. Which is fine because fullsized iPads are basically a $20 CPU with flash memory and they've never gone under $500 either.

 

[LIVEFRMNYC]

I was going to use it as a tablet replacement/laptop/art machine. I couldn't really get used to drawing on the smaller screen. Photoshop, etc was hard to work in the corners of the screen, etc.. I enjoyed it though..

Thanks, just wanted to know.

 

[MRU]

I was going to use it as a tablet replacement/laptop/art machine. I couldn't really get used to drawing on the smaller screen. Photoshop, etc was hard to work in the corners of the screen, etc.. I enjoyed it though..

I know what you mean, corner detection is fiddly. But otherwise I've adapted.

Worst thing for me is the fact that if you change to default 150% screen scaling to 200% - everything looks better and sharper - but certain apps can't scale their GUI properly.

Photoshop is poor in both 150 & 200 and likewise Corel Painter and Sketchbook Pro.

Instead you really have to use 125% and then it makes GUI menu items VERY small.

I hope this improves sooner rather than later.

....

That being said I painted this in Corel Painter X3 on the surface Pro 2.

 

[Lloydbm41]

Bay Trail isn't in the Pro. Intel Core line is in the Pro.

That Core line chip itself is at least $200. Add the SSD, Wacom display and a profit margin, that thing is not going under $500. Which is fine because fullsized iPads are basically a $20 CPU with flash memory and they've never gone under $500 either.

I thought I read that M$ was moving to Bay Trail from here on out on all Surface Pro's? Maybe I am thinking of an Android report? I'm getting old.

As for SoCs, SSD's and flash memory, all those costs depreciate en masse production. The WACOM digitizer is a good point though. I forgot about that.

 

[sviato]

Given the good performance, it looks like Balmer's strategy is working - perhaps you shouldn't be so hasty to kick him out.

 

[kalex]

I know what you mean, corner detection is fiddly. But otherwise I've adapted.

Worst thing for me is the fact that if you change to default 150% screen scaling to 200% - everything looks better and sharper - but certain apps can't scale their GUI properly.

Photoshop is poor in both 150 & 200 and likewise Corel Painter and Sketchbook Pro.

Instead you really have to use 125% and then it makes GUI menu items VERY small.

I hope this improves sooner rather than later.

....

That being said I painted this in Corel Painter X3 on the surface Pro 2.

View attachment 458069

Nicely done

 

[Faux Carnival]

Well, profitability is everything. And MS knows that better than anybody else.

MS doesn't make toys. It makes serious stuff. What if we didn't have Office. Businesses all around the world would stop. All engineering work is done on Windows based PC's. Great job Microsoft!

 

[WallToWallMacs]

IF YOU DONT LIKE MICROSOFT OR READING ABOUT FINANCIAL INFO, SKIP THIS THREAD.

"Don't let the door hit you in the ass on the way out" is likely to be Ballmer's inscription on his farewell plaque. Glad that monkey is leaving.

Microsoft sold a ton of XBox Ones (4 million last quarter) and Windows 8 and Office 365 licenses, beating analysts revenue predictions by nearly 1 billion dollars! Stock is up nearly 4%. Surprisingly, Surface tablet sales doubled in Q2 over Q1! Didn't see that one coming. Don't know what the breakdown between RT and Pro was though, but glad to see Windows tablets are beginning to take off. And I personally like Windows 8.1.

Only downside was the purchase of Nokia, as they didn't sell very well this past quarter. (I did my part this past week in buying a Lumina 1520), and that should go on Microsoft's tab for Q3.

Image

Link to full report: http://www.microsoft.com/en-us/news/press/2014/jan14/01-23fy14q2earningspr.aspx

Umm, forth quarter 2012 they sold 4.4 million Lumia, 4th quarter of 2013 they sold 8.2 million - I don't know about you but having doubled their sales within the space of a year comparing is pretty good in my books. Don't look at quarter to quarter sales because they're completely worthless statistics - compare year on year or quarter of one year to quarter of a previous year to really get a good look as to whether things are moving forward or backwards.

As for me, right now I've got my iPhone 5S and I'm happy with it but I really do long for a larger screen - I'm using it more often at work and in the past I really didn't care about the screen size but these days I want a good 4.7 inches particularly when it comes to surfing the net on the phone. I'm tossing up whether I should go for a Nokia Lumia 625 or save up and go for the 1520 phablet because honestly I don't even use half of the features that come with my iPhone 5S. I surf the net, listen to music, reply to text messages and emails which makes me wonder whether I have a lot of money tied up in a device I really don't use to its full potential - what does everyone else think of that situation?

 

[Lloydbm41]

As for me, right now I've got my iPhone 5S and I'm happy with it but I really do long for a larger screen - I'm using it more often at work and in the past I really didn't care about the screen size but these days I want a good 4.7 inches particularly when it comes to surfing the net on the phone. I'm tossing up whether I should go for a Nokia Lumia 625 or save up and go for the 1520 phablet because honestly I don't even use half of the features that come with my iPhone 5S. I surf the net, listen to music, reply to text messages and emails which makes me wonder whether I have a lot of money tied up in a device I really don't use to its full potential - what does everyone else think of that situation?

If 4.7 inch'ish' phone size is something that is perfect for you than I would suggest avoiding the 1520. I own the phone and even for me (and my 6ft 1" frame), the phone is at the very limit of comfort. But my eyesight is beginning to go bad, so I need a large screen.

Anyway, my point for the reply. The 1520V (name is subject to change) is getting ready to be released soon (by April, according to rumors), and it is supposed to have the top of the line hardware, like the 1520, and be roughly 5" in size. If this phone had existed now, I would have bought it over the 1520.
My advise is to wait about a month and we should know something from Microsoft and Nokia regarding this phone. (We anticipate Windows Phone 8.1 to be released with a new flagship phone - in this case the 1520V or whatever they call it.)

 

[mac00l]

What is the point of RT??? It is a senseless platform, from a consumer, developer and even Microsoft's point of view. And I really think that RT is the reason why Ballmer should step down.

Why as a developer would you want to create something complex and expensive (IE interesting) for a platform that you know is DOA.
Why as a consumer would you want to spend on apps in a platform that you know has not a lot of future.
Why on earth as Microsoft would you embark on a segment that HP(WebOS) and RIM(playbook) clearly demonstrated that has no future for isolated platforms?

I know the OP is not really into integrated systems, but the great majority of the consumer market is.

I'm guessing Surface numbers are driven by the RT's dirt cheap prices, and I don't really think that is a sustainable strategy.

EDIT:
Is the 4 million Xbox One number correct?? I find it hard to believe that in the US they only sold 4 million units (for a country of 300+ million people) where in Mexico they sold 3.9 million units (for a country of 100+ million people)

 

[thehustleman]

IF YOU DONT LIKE MICROSOFT OR READING ABOUT FINANCIAL INFO, SKIP THIS THREAD.

"Don't let the door hit you in the ass on the way out" is likely to be Ballmer's inscription on his farewell plaque. Glad that monkey is leaving.

Microsoft sold a ton of XBox Ones (4 million last quarter) and Windows 8 and Office 365 licenses, beating analysts revenue predictions by nearly 1 billion dollars! Stock is up nearly 4%. Surprisingly, Surface tablet sales doubled in Q2 over Q1! Didn't see that one coming. Don't know what the breakdown between RT and Pro was though, but glad to see Windows tablets are beginning to take off. And I personally like Windows 8.1.

Only downside was the purchase of Nokia, as they didn't sell very well this past quarter. (I did my part this past week in buying a Lumina 1520), and that should go on Microsoft's tab for Q3.

Image

Link to full report: http://www.microsoft.com/en-us/news/press/2014/jan14/01-23fy14q2earningspr.aspx

For clarifications sake, they sold 3 million xbox ones, they SHIPPED 4 million and tons are sitting in stores like this

With plenty in stock like this

And with that said, it's some great numbers for ms!

Unlike most here, I still like MS and windows, except 8.

 

[WallToWallMacs]

If 4.7 inch'ish' phone size is something that is perfect for you than I would suggest avoiding the 1520. I own the phone and even for me (and my 6ft 1" frame), the phone is at the very limit of comfort. But my eyesight is beginning to go bad, so I need a large screen.

Anyway, my point for the reply. The 1520V (name is subject to change) is getting ready to be released soon (by April, according to rumors), and it is supposed to have the top of the line hardware, like the 1520, and be roughly 5" in size. If this phone had existed now, I would have bought it over the 1520.
My advise is to wait about a month and we should know something from Microsoft and Nokia regarding this phone. (We anticipate Windows Phone 8.1 to be released with a new flagship phone - in this case the 1520V or whatever they call it.)

Sounds like a good plan - hopefully they'll also announce a phone based on the 64bit 805 CPU from Qualcomm as well that'll coincide with a 64bit build of Windows Phone 8.1. My main concern however is ensuring that Microsoft keeps their Windows Phone connector up to date on OS X rather than the situation that occurred last time where there was a long wait between releases which ended up leaving many end users unable to synchronise their phones because of incompatibilities between the Windows Phone connector and I think 10.8.x.

 

[spinedoc77]

What is the point of RT??? It is a senseless platform, from a consumer, developer and even Microsoft's point of view. And I really think that RT is the reason why Ballmer should step down.

Why as a developer would you want to create something complex and expensive (IE interesting) for a platform that you know is DOA.
Why as a consumer would you want to spend on apps in a platform that you know has not a lot of future.
Why on earth as Microsoft would you embark on a segment that HP(WebOS) and RIM(playbook) clearly demonstrated that has no future for isolated platforms?

I know the OP is not really into integrated systems, but the great majority of the consumer market is.

I'm guessing Surface numbers are driven by the RT's dirt cheap prices, and I don't really think that is a sustainable strategy.

EDIT:
Is the 4 million Xbox One number correct?? I find it hard to believe that in the US they only sold 4 million units (for a country of 300+ million people) where in Mexico they sold 3.9 million units (for a country of 100+ million people)

RT is a product of a deeply segregated Microsoft where the left hand doesn't talk to the right hand. It also signifies MS' massive conundrum, how does it translate the Desktop to a mobile world. It's not an enviable position. Putting aside ARM vs Intel and Microsoft hedging it's bets on which would be dominant we have the issue of how the desktop translates to a tablet.

You have to remember we are in the age of the "dumb" tablet, ipads and android tablets are consumption devices mainly and while you can shoehorn desktop functionality into them with varying degrees of success, you are still shoehorning and it shows. I think that's the market MS wanted to compete in with RT and not confuse consumers with the desktop. I don't agree, but hey I don't run a multi billion dollar corporation. I think RT dilutes the Windows brand, it confuses consumers who expect "Windows", and they are having a predictably hard time out-ipadding the ipad. RT will only hurt them in the long run, even though there needs to be a mobile transition eventually.

 

[fredaroony]

I bought a Surface RT before Christmas as they were on sale for $223AUS and at first I hated it but the more I used it I found it's quite good.

It breaks nearly all the limitations of iOS or Android tablets. I'm going to the US in a week and thinking of getting a Dell Venue 8 Pro since it's cheap and runs the full OS instead of the RT version.

 

[Brazzan]

All engineering work is done on Windows based PC's.

Windows is good for graphically intensive tasks , but the real heavy lifting is done by Linux clusters these days.

Having said that, your browser point about Windows being embedded in the workplace still stands.