Bill's billions dwindle in Q1c
Massive fines and online competition hit Microsoft profits
POOR BILL GATES will soon be searching down the back of the sofa for quarters for the gas meter if Microsoft's current figures are anything to go by.
First quarter profits this year are down by 11 per cent to a wallet-worrying $4.39 billion compared to $4.93 billion the previous year.
The biggest blow was to the business applications division which saw sales of Office and other productivity programmes threatened by the likes of Google Docs, which had the audacity to give away stuff for free.
But a whince-inducing fine of $1.42 billion failed to make much of a dent in the Redmond firm's bottom line, mainly because it's happy to pass the costs of its legal indiscretions along the line to you, the consumer.
X-Box sales remained strong and helped the company's entertainment and devices sector grow by 68 per cent.
Predictions for the rest of the year are still strong, but after-hours trading following the announcement of the figures contributed to a five per cent drop in the company's value overnight
Massive fines and online competition hit Microsoft profits
POOR BILL GATES will soon be searching down the back of the sofa for quarters for the gas meter if Microsoft's current figures are anything to go by.
First quarter profits this year are down by 11 per cent to a wallet-worrying $4.39 billion compared to $4.93 billion the previous year.
The biggest blow was to the business applications division which saw sales of Office and other productivity programmes threatened by the likes of Google Docs, which had the audacity to give away stuff for free.
But a whince-inducing fine of $1.42 billion failed to make much of a dent in the Redmond firm's bottom line, mainly because it's happy to pass the costs of its legal indiscretions along the line to you, the consumer.
X-Box sales remained strong and helped the company's entertainment and devices sector grow by 68 per cent.
Predictions for the rest of the year are still strong, but after-hours trading following the announcement of the figures contributed to a five per cent drop in the company's value overnight