The result came down the PC sector crisis, investment in marketing and the end of the product life cycle as the Xbox

The release of Windows 8, the tablet Surface and Windows Phone 8 phones in the last quarter of 2012 did not stop Microsoft’s net profit fell year on year by 3.7% during that period to the 6.377 million dollars, according to Today the company.

The result was burdened by the crisis facing the industry demand of the PC, the heavy investment in marketing, the approaching end of the product life cycle as the Xbox, and the limitations of distribution of a company that hopes to see the fruits of their long-term renewal.

Still, Microsoft has now sold more than 60 million licenses of Windows 8 and October-December revenue rose 2.7% to end the quarter at U.S. $ 21,456,000.

“We are at an early stage of an ambitious plan to reimagine Windows, and this is a continuous learning,” said Peter Klein, Microsoft’s chief financial officer, in a conference call with reporters in the U.S. after unveiling the balance.

NO FIGURES FOR SURFACE
The company did not provide sales figures for its tablet Surface or the adoption of Windows Phone 8, but CEO Steve Ballmer said that had aroused “a growing enthusiasm” among consumers and “an unprecedented opportunity” for partners and developers software. Surface tablet on your Windows version debuted in the U.S. RT in October and the next month will go on sale in 13 countries.

The thrust of the new products made the Windows division revenues increase by 24% over the last quarter of 2011, up to 5880 million. They also improved their business figures of Server & Tools (Azure, Visual Studio) and network services (Bing, MSN) with revenue increases of 9 and 11 percent, respectively.

The second most important division to Microsoft, its service area for companies with products like Microsoft Office, reported a 10 percent drop in revenue, to 5690 million, possibly affected by the anticipation of the upcoming official Office 2013.

THE XBOX TO PIQUE
Another branch of business that did not behave like a year ago was the one that includes the games and the Xbox, that after his commercial success seems to have exhausted its life cycle. Not surprisingly rumors about its renewal in 2013 or 2014. That entertainment division saw a revenue decline of 11 percent year on year, to 3770 million.

Between October and December sold 5.9 million Xbox consoles, 28 percent less, and Microsoft reported that the game “Halo 4” and sales surpassed its predecessors in that saga. Xbox, according to the company, continues to be the best selling console in U.S.

Although data from Windows, Microsoft accounts were received coolly by the markets and after the announcement of the results, a few minutes after the close of Wall Street, shares of the technology were left a little more than 1.5 percent in after-hours trading conducted.