Microsoft revealed its Q3 (calendar year) 2012 financial numbers today, announcing that the company had revenues of $16.01 billion for the quarter than ended on September 30th. That"s actually a bit lower than estimates from financial analysts, who predicted the company would bring in $16.42 billion in revenues for the quarter.
The company said it had a net income of $4.47 billion for the quarter along with earnings of $0.53 per share. Microsoft said in its press release that its numbers accounted for the deferral of $1.36 billion in revenue and $0.13 of diluted earnings per share. The company said those numbers were ".... due to the Windows Upgrade Offer, pre-sales of Windows 8 to OEMs prior to general availability, and the Office Offer."
Peter Klein, the chief financial officer at Microsoft, admitted in the press release, "While enterprise revenue continued to grow and we managed our expenses, the slowdown in PC demand ahead of the Windows 8 launch resulted in a decline in operating income. Multi-year licensing revenue grew double-digits across Windows, Server & Tools, and Microsoft Business Division products as businesses commit to our technology roadmap."
The press release included a statement from Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer who said, "The launch of Windows 8 is the beginning of a new era at Microsoft. Investments we’ve made over a number of years are now coming together to create a future of exceptional devices and services, with tremendous opportunity for our customers, developers, and partners.”
The Windows and Windows Live division generated revenues of $3.24 billion for the quarter, down a whopping 33 percent from the same period a year ago. The Online Services Division had revenues of $697 million for the quarter, up nine percent compared to a year ago.
Microsoft"s Server and Tools division had revenues $4.55 billion for the quarter, up eight percent compared to a year ago. Microsoft"s Business section generated revenues of $5.50 billion for the quarter, down two percent compared to a year ago. The Entertainment and Devices section had revenues of $1.95 billion for the quarter, down one percent from a year ago.
The company will hold a financial conference call with analysts at 5:30 pm Eastern Time today.
Source: Microsoft press release | Image via Microsoft