Microsoft profits up 31 per cent

Microsoft today reported third-quarter profit that met analysts' predictions as consumers shunned Windows personal computers …

Microsoft today reported third-quarter profit that met analysts' predictions as consumers shunned Windows personal computers in favour of tablets such as Apple's iPad.

Net income for the three-month period ending in March rose to $5.23 billion, or 61 cents a share, from $4.01 billion, or 45 cents.

Sales rose to $16.4 billion, compared with a $16.2 billion average projection.

Microsoft said operating expenses in the year that starts July 1st will rise to $28 billion to $28.6 billion. In the current year they will be $26.9 billion to $27.3 billion, the company said, reiterating a previous forecast.

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Unearned revenue, a measure of future sales, was $13 billion, above the average analysts' estimate of $12.8 billion, according to Bloomberg data.

Bloomberg