Apple Arch Rival Microsoft Posts Record $24.52 Billion Revenue

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Those are some better numbers, for sure.
Those are some better numbers, for sure.

Microsoft announced $24.52 billion in revenue the second quarter this year, showing gains across all segments of its consumer technology business, including Surface, Xbox, and Bing search.

As a previous heavy competitor and sometime collaborator with Apple, Microsoft hasn’t been doing as well in the post-PC era. It’s interesting that the company is defying expectations on the eve of CEO Steve Ballmer’s run at the company, with growth across the board, except in PC sales, of course.

The Redmond-based company reported twice as much revenue from Surface tablets, posting $893 million in the second quarter, which ended December 31, 2013, up from $400 million in the first quarter of the same year.

Microsoft sold 7.4 million Xbox consoles to retail, including 3.9 million Xbox One consoles, the latest next-gen system from the company, and 3.5 million Xbox 360 consoles. Bing search share grew to 18 percent, while associated search ad revenue grew 34 percent.

Windows OEM revenue declined 3 percent, though Windows Pro revenue grew 12 percent. The press release points to a “continued softness in the consumer PC market.”

Microsoft is also doing well in the commercial end of things, with growth in revenue in SQL Server, System Center, Commercial cloud services like SkyDrive, and Office 365.

“Our Commercial segment continues to outpace the overall market, and our Devices and Consumer segment had a great holiday quarter,” said Ballmer in a press release. “The investments we are making in devices and services that deliver high-value experiences to our customers, and the work we are doing with our partners, are driving strong results and positioning us well for long-term growth.”

Either way, it’s good news for Microsoft executives and shareholders. Whether there’s enough momentum to put a dent in Apple’s current mind-share dominance, at least, is another matter.

Source: Microsoft

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