Microsoft beat Wall Street’s estimates for sales in key segments, including its cloud-computing business and the division that sells PC software, Surface tablets and Xbox gaming consoles. Analysts polled by FactSet had expected adjusted earnings of 71 cents a share.
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When it comes to the Windows Store, games accounted for the most downloads and the most in-app purchases over the 2015 holiday season, according to a blog post published today by Microsoft.
Apps licensed by the company, for instance, roam – in other words, synchronize so that they’re available on multiple machines – only on workplace-owned devices; ditto for office Wi-Fi passwords, and desktop and Internet Explorer settings mandated by corporate.
Despite its struggles, Microsoft’s Windows Phone (Windows 10 Mobile) program could be getting a boost from a well-known brand. Microsoft makes money from ads and premium features that cost money – such as additional OneDrive storage.
Microsoft is also distributing more of its software through online subscriptions, which it hopes will provide a reliable stream of revenue and the opportunity to learn users’ preferences.
But that’s a long-term process, Gillett cautioned.
Microsoft Corporation had bled out close to $8 Billion when reports pertaining to Microsoft Mobiles were released a year ago. You could hold off until then, but then chances are you might not get a free upgrade and may have to pay a heft price at the time depending on what Microsoft’s strategy is at the time. Microsoft’s commercial “cloud computing” service is now the industry’s second-largest, after Amazon’s.
To use Enterprise State Roaming, the Windows 10 devices must be joined to Azure AD. Alternatively, they can be joined to a local AD instance that has “automatic registration to Azure AD”, Microsoft explained, in its announcement. Well before Windows 10 was officially launched, Microsoft offered its customers a chance to reserve a copy of their Windows 10 and have it downloaded on their systems automatically and upgrade to it as soon as possible. However, the preview is just available in “supported USA and Europe regions” right now, Microsoft explained, in an announcement on Thursday.
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Azure has historically done well with enterprises that already use a lot of Microsoft products, including Windows and Windows Server. Remember, you have only 31 days to change your mind.
