Column: Microsoft corp. is doing well where it counts, poorly everywhere else

MINYANVILLE Credit: MINYANVILLE
Microsoft’s (NASDAQ:MSFT) second-quarter earnings report wasn’t a disaster. It may have seemed that way to investors, coming at the end of a three-month 25% rally, but what it revealed was a company doing some things right, and some things wrong.
For Microsoft, that’s business as usual.
The glaring problem was the Windows division.
Sales fell 6% year-over-year, reflecting a 15% decline in revenue from OEM (Original Equipment Manufacturer, i.e. PC) sales.
IDC and Gartner both reported that PC shipments declined 11% in the second quarter, which suggests that inventory drawdown might have eaten into Microsoft’s top line.
The weak results cannot be blamed on Windows 8 alone, as Apple (NASDAQ:AAPL) also reported a 7% decline in Macintosh shipments.

Sarra Sounds Off Ep. 35: EI baseball, girls lacrosse and plays of the week On the latest episode of "Sarra Sounds Off," we look at East Islip baseball's inspirational comeback story, Jared Valluzzi has the plays of the week and Tess Ferguson breaks down the top defensive players in girls lacrosse.

Sarra Sounds Off Ep. 35: EI baseball, girls lacrosse and plays of the week On the latest episode of "Sarra Sounds Off," we look at East Islip baseball's inspirational comeback story, Jared Valluzzi has the plays of the week and Tess Ferguson breaks down the top defensive players in girls lacrosse.


