How Big is Big for Microsoft?
After 33 years of its existence, a slew of
product successes and failures, a series of law suits, a number of
acquisitions, and then Bill’s exit from the mundane corporate chores,
Microsoft has emerged as the biggest software juggernaut in the global
tech world. Its annual revenue has reached $60 billion, and it’s still
looking up.
Microsoft Corp. has announced revenue of $15.84 billion for the fiscal
fourth quarter ended June 30, 2008, an 18% increase over the same period
of the prior year. Operating income and diluted earnings per share for the
quarter were $5.68 billion and $0.46, representing growth of 42% and 48%,
respectively, over the same period of the prior year.
For the fiscal year ended June 30, 2008, Microsoft announced revenue of
$60.42 billion, an 18% increase over the prior year. Operating income and
diluted earnings per share for the year were $22.49 billion and $1.87,
representing yearly growth of 21% and 32%, respectively.
The growth rates for operating income and diluted earnings per share were
impacted by a $1.1 billion charge in the fourth quarter of fiscal year
2007 related to the expansion of the company's Xbox 360 warranty coverage.
"Delivering
$60 billion in annual revenue is an outstanding accomplishment and a
testament to the powerful combination of great technology solutions and
strong execution by our partners and global sales and marketing teams,"
said Kevin Turner, chief operating officer at Microsoft. "The outlook for
fiscal year 2009 is positive given the breadth of our impressive
technology portfolio and the expanding collection of online services we
are bringing to market."
Photo:
Kevin Turner, Microsoft COO
This fiscal year marked the launch of Microsoft's flagship server
products: Windows Server 2008, SQL Server 2008, and Visual Studio 2008.
Revenue growth was primarily driven by continued customer demand for all
products, including Windows Vista, which has sold over 180 million
licenses since launch, the 2007 Microsoft Office system, server software,
and Xbox 360 consoles and games.
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