Strong enterprise sales and an increase in consumer demand helped push tech titan Microsoft’s revenue to a record US$18.53bn in its first quarter.
“We saw strong focus across our teams, generating record first-quarter revenue even as we navigate a fundamental business transition,” said Amy Hood, chief financial officer at Microsoft.
The company has been working to transform itself from a software company into a devices and services provider, and CEO Steve Ballmer said the transition is progressing.
“We are launching a wide range of compelling products and experiences this fall for both business and consumers,” Ballmer said.
For its first quarter, Microsoft also reported net income of US$5.24bn, operating income of US$6.33bn, gross margin of US$13.42bn, and diluted earnings per share of US$0.62.
Microsoft’s Devices and Consumer revenue increased by 4pc, to US$7.46bn. Commercial revenue also rose, by 10pc, to US$11.20bn.
“Our new commercial services will help us continue to outgrow the enterprise market,” Ballmer said, adding that Microsoft is seeing lots of consumer excitement for the Xbox One games console, the Surface 2 and Surface Pro 2 tablet computers, and the full spectrum of Windows 8.1 and Windows Phone devices.
