Microsoft profits up despite Windows slump

Microsoft has reported a 31 per cent jump in profits made in the first quarter of this year compared with last year, up from $4bn to $5.23bn. The company's revenues were also up 13 per cent to $16.43bn for the same period.

Despite poor performance in the PC sector, with revenues from its Windows 7 operating system dropping by seven per cent, the technology giant said that it had managed to achieve "strong results".

Microsoft's Entertainment and Devices division saw a 60 per cent growth in revenue, and the company reported that it had seen strong interest in its cloud-computing services in the US, which allows data to be stored remotely.

"Consumers are purchasing Office 2010, Xbox and Kinect at tremendous rates, and businesses of all sizes are purchasing Microsoft platforms and applications," said chief financial officer Peter Klein.

Read a full report at BBC News. ·