Microsoft said on Thursday that net profit in the second quarter rose 60 percent to US$6.66 billion on record-high revenue driven by demand for new Windows 7 operating system.
Microsoft reported that its revenue surge 14 percent to US$19.02 billion in the fiscal quarter that ended on Dec. 31.
“Exceptional demand for Windows 7 led to the positive top-line growth for the company,” chief financial officer Peter Klein said of the new personal computer operating system released in October by the US software giant.
The net income amounted to US$0.74 per share, up 57 percent from the same quarter a year earlier.
The milestone was hit with help from a one-time boost of US$1.71 billion that came from deferred revenue.
Microsoft said it has sold or licensed more than 60 million copies of Windows 7, which was launched with Windows Server 2008 R2 software in late October.
“This is a record quarter for Windows units,” Microsoft chief operating officer Kevin Turner said. “We are thrilled by the consumer reception to Windows 7 and by business enthusiasm to adopt Windows 7.”
The consumer-oriented side of Microsoft’s technology empire drove the quarter’s strong showing, while businesses continued to be tight with spending, Klein said.
“With Windows 7 we have tremendous consumer momentum and a great product for the enterprise market when it recovers,” Microsoft general manager of investor relations Bill Koefoed said.
Software sales grew at double digit percentages in emerging markets while climbing “single digits” in mature markets, Microsoft said.
Klein predicted spending on information technology would rise this year.
“IT spending should improve from the recessionary levels of 2009,” Klein said. “We expect the business hardware refresh cycle to begin this year and continue gradually for several years.”
MORE VISITORS: The Tourism Administration said that it is seeing positive prospects in its efforts to expand the tourism market in North America and Europe Taiwan has been ranked as the cheapest place in the world to travel to this year, based on a list recommended by NerdWallet. The San Francisco-based personal finance company said that Taiwan topped the list of 16 nations it chose for budget travelers because US tourists do not need visas and travelers can easily have a good meal for less than US$10. A bus ride in Taipei costs just under US$0.50, while subway rides start at US$0.60, the firm said, adding that public transportation in Taiwan is easy to navigate. The firm also called Taiwan a “food lover’s paradise,” citing inexpensive breakfast stalls
TRADE: A mandatory declaration of origin for manufactured goods bound for the US is to take effect on May 7 to block China from exploiting Taiwan’s trade channels All products manufactured in Taiwan and exported to the US must include a signed declaration of origin starting on May 7, the Bureau of Foreign Trade announced yesterday. US President Donald Trump on April 2 imposed a 32 percent tariff on imports from Taiwan, but one week later announced a 90-day pause on its implementation. However, a universal 10 percent tariff was immediately applied to most imports from around the world. On April 12, the Trump administration further exempted computers, smartphones and semiconductors from the new tariffs. In response, President William Lai’s (賴清德) administration has introduced a series of countermeasures to support affected
CROSS-STRAIT: The vast majority of Taiwanese support maintaining the ‘status quo,’ while concern is rising about Beijing’s influence operations More than eight out of 10 Taiwanese reject Beijing’s “one country, two systems” framework for cross-strait relations, according to a survey released by the Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) on Thursday. The MAC’s latest quarterly survey found that 84.4 percent of respondents opposed Beijing’s “one country, two systems” formula for handling cross-strait relations — a figure consistent with past polling. Over the past three years, opposition to the framework has remained high, ranging from a low of 83.6 percent in April 2023 to a peak of 89.6 percent in April last year. In the most recent poll, 82.5 percent also rejected China’s
PLUGGING HOLES: The amendments would bring the legislation in line with systems found in other countries such as Japan and the US, Legislator Chen Kuan-ting said Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) Legislator Chen Kuan-ting (陳冠廷) has proposed amending national security legislation amid a spate of espionage cases. Potential gaps in security vetting procedures for personnel with access to sensitive information prompted him to propose the amendments, which would introduce changes to Article 14 of the Classified National Security Information Protection Act (國家機密保護法), Chen said yesterday. The proposal, which aims to enhance interagency vetting procedures and reduce the risk of classified information leaks, would establish a comprehensive security clearance system in Taiwan, he said. The amendment would require character and loyalty checks for civil servants and intelligence personnel prior to
RSS