–Xbox won the holiday season, beating the Sony (SNE) PlayStation 4. Microsoft sold 6.6 million Xbox Ones, which is more than it sold a year ago. But Xbox revenue was down, because Microsoft no longer requires Xbox customers to buy the Kinect motion sensor attachment with the console, making it cheaper for people who just want the console by itself.
–Even businesses that hadn’t historically performed well for Microsoft had strong quarters. Bing ad sales grew 23%, and Lumia smartphone sales totaled 10.5 million — the best quarter for the former Nokia brand ever.
The company says its new focus isn’t on growing Windows revenue, but increasing the volume of Windows users. Microsoft doesn’t want to lose customers to Apple (AAPL, Tech30) and Google (GOOGL, Tech30), as smartphones and tablets eclipse PCs as the go-to gadget for everyday use.
–
Factset: FactSet Research Systems Inc. 2015. All rights reserved.
Chicago Mercantile Association: Certain market data is the property of Chicago Mercantile Exchange Inc. and its licensors. All rights reserved.
