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 Channel Futures

Sales & Marketing


Can Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer deliver good news about Windows 8 Surface and cloud computing momentum Q3 2013 results arrive later today

Microsoft Earnings: Surface Tablet, Windows 8 Sales Reality Check

  • Written by The VAR Guy 1
  • April 18, 2013
Microsoft Q3 2013 results will reveal the latest Windows 8, Surface tablet, Office 365 and cloud computing sales data. Here's a Microsoft earnings preview from The VAR Guy.

Microsoft (NASDAQ:MSFT) is expected to announce Q3 2013 earnings today. Those results should provide new clues about Windows 8, Surface tablet and cloud-related sales. The earnings arrive only days after IDC said Q1 2013 PC shipments fell about 14 percent. Most folks assume that’s bad news for Microsoft. But here’s the irony: Even if PC shipments fall, Microsoft’s long-term business could grow. Here’s why.

Think of it this way: Microsoft likely makes about $50 to $100 for each PC sold with Windows, depending on various licensing models. But Microsoft makes about $599 to $999 on each Surface RT or Pro tablet sale. So even if the PC market shrinks, Microsoft could potentially generate more revenue thanks to its hardware focus — though The VAR Guy certainly isn’t making any revenue or profit predictions amid the current market inflection points, which are huge.

Among the variables Microsoft is currently navigating:

  • Desktop: The software company in January 2013 insisted that Windows 8 was a hit, selling 60 million licenses. But IDC now says Q1 2013 PC sales shrank 14 percent, and Intel’s (NASDAQ:INTC) financial results from earlier this week were not encouraging. Plus, it doesn’t sound like sales of Windows-based tablets and smartphones are setting the world on fire.
  • Server: Here, the story remains stronger — especially for Microsoft’s partners. Windows Server 2012 and its Hyper-V enhancements have been well-received in the market. It’s a safe bet demand for server applications (Lync, SharePoint, Exchange, SQL Server) remains strong, too.
  • Cloud: Office 365 is gaining momentum. It sounds like sales are growing more than 100 percent annually. What about Windows Azure? Amid a recent price cut, Azure’s financial performance head-on against Google and Amazon Web Services is unclear. Microsoft’s cloud-oriented partner programs are improving but they still miss the target in some areas. A prime example: Partners that want to manage Office 365 pricing and end-customer billing must sell to customers with 250 or fewer seats. Plus, those Office 365 Open sales require one-year customer commitments — not exactly a cloud-friendly mentality.

Still, the biggest wild card for today’s earnings call is the Windows 8 strategy, where Microsoft is preparing the Blue upgrade and perhaps even a Surface channel partner program. Rumors are swirling that Microsoft may even bring back the classic “Start” button to make Windows 8 less confusing for first-time users.

Either way, The VAR Guy will be back later today with analysis of Microsoft’s Q3 2013 financial results.

Tags: Cloud Service Providers Digital Service Providers MSPs VARs/SIs Sales & Marketing

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2 comments

  1. Avatar Anonymous April 18, 2013 @ 4:07 pm
    Reply

    People like us (software
    People like us (software developers) always want Microsoft
    to do well.If it is sinking almost the entire software community sinks in enterprise except $1 android companies

  2. Avatar Anonymous April 18, 2013 @ 6:46 pm
    Reply

    Microsoft doesn’t “make”
    Microsoft doesn’t “make” 599-999 on every surface they sell them fro 599-999. I don’t understand the math here

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