Microsoft Posts First Quarterly Loss Ever

HangingChad writes "Microsoft's announcement of a late October release date for Windows 8 was eclipsed by its earnings report, in which the computer giant posted its first-ever quarterly loss since going public in 1986. The loss stems from Microsoft's continued struggles with the online services division."

Comments

Might need to change their tag...

[EdIII]

I guess we can't use M$ anymore then?

Can't say I am all that surprised. Microsoft has been losing steadily on a large number of fronts for years and SAAS offerings are not nearly as profitable as huge license expensive server farms that do the same thing. In many ways they are eating their own lunch.

  Part of me wants to rejoice, but there really isn't anything to celebrate since it leaves Google and Apple in the room alone. Hardly good for the consumer.

Hopefully this is a wake up call to the folks in Redmond.

Re:Loss due to 8 billion write down.

[HermMunster]

Indeed. Microsoft is a monopoly. It's real hard to loose money as a monopoly.

Tin foil hats kids!! (not aluminum)

[Mabhatter]

I'm breaking out the tin foil here.

Microsoft sat on this bad investment for 5 years? They reaeased their first ever loss the quarter before the election.

I'm calling it now. In three weeks nobody will remember WHY Microsoft had a loss, just that in 2012 "Obama" had dragged the economy down so far, even MICROSOFT was effected! This will stand in the history books for decades.

You'll hear the rally for Republicans tomorrow morning... DEMOCRATS RUINED MICROSOFT! Count on it. Then queue renewed call for anti piracy measures, renewed call for cheaper workers... Blah, blah, blah.

Thoughts?

Still a loss even without the writeoff

[SpaceLifeForm]

The point is that Microsoft lost money even if you disregard the writeoff.

Re:Yay!

[rtb61]

It's called creative accounting at it's finest. All brought about by corporate government after corporate government, off which Barack "The Betrayer" Obama is just the latest. Turning multi-billion dollar profits into seeming no tax payable losses. This joke and other identical jokes brought to you at the expence of the tax paying middle class, whom each year after another are worse off.