Microsoft announced its financial results for the quarter ending 31st March 2012, reporting a 6% Year on Year increase in revenue at $17.41 billion. The company registered a net profit of $5.11 billion, compared to a profit of $5.23 billion in the same period last year, which included $461 million of tax benefit related to a tax settlement with the US Internal Revenue Service. The company seemed to be enthusiastic about the upcoming release of new Windows 8 PCs and tablets, the next version of Office, and products and services for the enterprise and consumers. The Windows and Windows Live Division posted revenue of $4.62 billion, a 4% increase compared to the same period, last year. The company claims that approximately 40% of all enterprise desktops are on Windows 7, worldwide. It estimates the growth in PC market to be between 2% to 4%. The Online Services Division reported revenue of $707 million, a 6% increase from Q3-FY12, and operating loss improvement of approximately $300 million. Microsoft reported a 9% growth in online advertising revenue driven by volumes and rate improvements in search. Bing's US marketshare was at 15.3% during the quarter. The Entertainment & Devices Division posted revenue of $1.62 billion, a decrease of 16% from the prior period due to a soft gaming console market. Xbox remained the top-selling console in the US with a 42% share in the US market. However, Microsoft sold 1.4 million consoles in the quarter, a decrease of 48%. It did not reveal any numbers related…
