Microsoft stock drops amid slumping sales
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| Microsoft Corp., whose Windows software dominates the personal-computer
| market, fell 6.2 percent Fridayin Nasdaq trading after sales slumped, casting
| doubt on whether PC demand can hold up in a slowing economy. The software
| maker reported a 24 percent drop in sales of Windows last quarter and
| forecast earnings that may miss analysts' estimates.
|
| [...]
|
| "The risk is that Linux gets a foothold and then affects their long-term
| revenue significantly."
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http://www.sltrib.com/business/ci_9061263
Microsoft’s elephant in the OS room: Apple
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| Microsoft’s three reasons for the client malaise are all legitimate. What’s
| curious is that piracy–always a big deal for Microsoft–was mentioned 12 times
| on the conference call by CFO Christopher Liddell and analysts, who were
| following the software giant’s lead. The takeaway: Microsoft is facing tough
| growth comparisons and any blip in piracy levels can be the difference
| between Vista and XP hitting Wall Street targets. If Microsoft didn’t need
| that extra percent of growth or two it’s unlikely we’d get a conference call
| where piracy chatter was dominant.
|
| Also see: Salesforce dumping 4,000 PCs for Macs?
|
| But let’s dig deeper: Could it be that the real elephant in the room was
| Apple? Let’s be real: Apple isn’t taking over operating system dominance, but
| it is fast enough to take away a few incremental dollars from Microsoft.
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http://blogs.zdnet.com/BTL/?p=8614&tag=nl.e589
Is Vista to Blame for Windows Revenue Drop?
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| Microsoft said this week that Windows revenues during the first three months
| of 2008 were down nearly 24% from the same period last year.
|
| One analyst argued that the decline is more evidence that the company is
| having trouble convincing users of Windows Vista's value.
|
| "More than a year has passed since the rollout of Vista to both the business
| and consumer markets, and experiencing revenue declines so early in the
| product lifecycle is not a positive sign," said Allan Krans, an analyst with
| Technology Business Research.
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http://www.pcworld.com/article/id,145153-pg,1/article.html
Microsoft earnings post-mortem: The cash cows quiver
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| I can’t help but wonder if the lackluster Windows/Office results also can be
| attributed to Microsoft brass’s complete and crazy obsession with Google (and
| taking over Yahoo) has resulted in no one minding the Windows store. Kevin
| Johnson, the head of Microsoft’s Platforms & Services division seems to be so
| laser-focused on the online-ad business these days that he almost seems to
| have forgotten Microsoft is still in the software business, too.
|
| Microsoft execs’ claims about walking away from the Yahoo deal are nothing
| more than bluster. A protracted hostile takeover bid is just going to
| distract not just employees in Microsoft’s online services business, but
| company management, too. It’s not a pretty picture.
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http://blogs.zdnet.com/microsoft/?p=1362
Recent:
Feeling the heat at Microsoft
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| If I ask you who is Microsoft's biggest competitor now, who would it be?
|
| Ballmer: Open...Linux. I don't want to say open source. Linux, certainly have
| to go with that.
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http://www.news.com/Feeling-the-heat-at-Microsoft/2008-1012_3-6232458.html?tag=ne.fd.mnbc
Microsoft's SEC:
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| A prominent example of open source software is the Linux operating system...
| To the extent open source software gains increasing market acceptance, sales
| of our products may decline, we may have to reduce the prices we charge for
| our products, and revenue and operating margins may consequently decline.
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http://www. microsoft.com/msft/SEC/default.mspx
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