“Microsoft Corp reported its first quarterly loss as a public company on Thursday as it took a previously announced hit for writing down the value of its ailing online unit and suffered stagnant sales of its flagship Windows operating system,” Bill Rigby reports for Reuters.
“After several years of stumbling behind mobile and Internet trailblazers Apple Inc and Google Inc, and a decade-long static share price, some expectation is building that Microsoft can re-establish itself as a tech leader with its new, touch-friendly Windows 8 system, due out on October 26, and an accompanying tablet of its own design.,” Rigby reports.
MacDailyNews Take: Those with that expectation deserve our pity, not our scorn, for they are obviously quite ill and likely incapacitated to the point where they are unable to feed themselves, go to the bathroom without assistance, or walk even short distances without a helmet and a drool bib.
Rigby reports, “The company reported a net loss of $492 million, or 6 cents per share for its fiscal fourth quarter, compared with a profit of $5.87 billion, or 69 cents per share, in the year-ago quarter. The loss was expected after Microsoft said earlier this month that it would take a $6.2 billion write-down for the value of its online unit after an ill-fated acquisition. Microsoft has not suffered a quarterly loss since going public in 1986.”
“The stock [MSFT] is up 10 percent so far this year, compared to a 14 percent gain in the tech-heavy Nasdaq,” Rigby reports. “But it has remained locked around the $30 level, which it has not exceeded for any prolonged period since the tech stock boom 12 years ago.”
Read more in the full article here.
MacDailyNews Take: Balmy, you’re doing a heck of a job!
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Apple bulldozes Street with blowout $39.2 billion revenue; shares rocket in after-hours trading – April 24, 2012
Apple stuns Street with massive $46.33 billion record revenue; all-time record Mac, iPhone, iPad sales – January 24, 2012
Great way to dispose of over $6B, Microsoft. See if you can beat that next time. Yahoo is still looking like a grrrreat takeover target, and now you get a new CEO in the deal. Wait, scratch that last thought.
Let’s hope the M$ board members all have iPhones and lots of Apple share so they have good reasons to keep Monkeyboy as CEO till the bitter end.
Here is the insanity. After-hours trading today:
Microsoft – up 2+%
Apple – up 0.2%
Um huh? I know what you mean about trading insanity. But the stats I’m looking at show:
Apple up 1.33% at 614.32
and
Microsoft up only 0.71% at 30.67
This is well within MS’s historic price stagnation. We’re still waiting for a realistic Apple stock price, thanks to all the hedge fund and Wallstreet ANALyst price manipulation.
Opening Friday and as of 10:00 AM EDT:
Microsoft — up
Apple — down
Ballmer is the Dr. Kevorkian of tech.
Put him in charge or partner with him… Its all the same… assisted suicide
+1
Absolutely!
Ballmer-the-monkey boy is the best tech CEO ever. I wish him to stay on as MSFT CEO forever.
First legally uncool Samsung, now not-yet-but-getting-there beleaguered Microsoft.
It’s been a good week. 😉
And for those itching to nail Apple fanbois for bullying behavior against competitors: This gloating is all about JUSTICE. It has nothing to do with killing off Apple competition. I for one am extremely concerned that Apple does not have ENOUGH actual competition, as we watch businesses across the world self-destruct in an orgy of incompetence, mismanagement and desperately dire biznizz practices. Where is the next Apple? Where are the new innovators?
I’m hoping that some of the bright people who are currently stuck working for incompetent management at these companies will leave and start innovative new endeavors once their current employers finish circling the bowl.
Of course if they were REALLY bright, they’d have already left, but a steady paycheck can manage to sometimes keep people in bad situations.
I can’t wait for the Skype write down. 🙂
Goodbye old friend.
The first of many to come…
This is what happens when you haw a sales guy running a company that don’t give a damn about the company’s customers needs and their products.
Good riddence I say.
And in 10yrs time it will be google.