Did Microsoft Alter Windows Sales Figures?

Saxophonist writes "InformationWeek claims to have analyzed Microsoft's most recent Form 10-Q and observed that a reported increase in earnings for the Windows unit may be due to accounting trickery rather than actual sales growth. Microsoft apparently increased its reported revenues for its Windows, Server & Tools, and Office units at least partly through shifting revenues from other units. While there may be nothing 'to suggest the company's revisions violate any accounting rules,' the actual growth in Windows sales was likely nowhere near the high double-digit percentage growth claimed. InformationWeek speculates that revenues from Xbox and Surface may have been among the revenues shifted to the other divisions."

Comments

You're kidding, right?

[Petersko]

"Am I the only person who hates these allegation-disguised-as-a-question headlines? Please can we stop posting them? If you're going to make an allegation, make an allegation, don't try to pretend that you're asking the audience for their opinions. If you can't back them up, don't make the allegations, and if you can then don't hide behind weasel words in the headline."

Might as well ask a duck not to quack, or a horse not to trot. If you removed all of the "have you stopped beating your wife" questions, you'd kill the essence of slashdot. I, for one, embrace the ridiculous, blind antagonism and shortsightedness. It warms the cockles of my heart, it does.

Re:SOP?

[elrous0]

Yeah, but this is Microsoft, and this is /. So that makes anything they do automatically exceptionally bad.

For example, when Apple bundles its browser with its OS--that's just to benefit the consumer experience. When MS bundles its browser with its OS--that's evil, anti-competitive, and a criminal offense.