Microsoft Q3 profit jumps 35% to $4 bn

Software giant Microsoft today posted a 35 per cent jump in profit at $4.1 billion in the quarter ended March 31, primarily driven by strong demand for its Windows 7 operating system.

The company recorded a revenue of $14.50 billion in third quarter, a six per cent rise from the same period of the prior year, Microsoft said in a statement.

"Windows 7 continues to be a growth engine, but we also saw strong growth in other areas like Bing search, Xbox Live and our emerging cloud services. Our record third-quarter revenue along with continued rigor on cost management resulted in exceptional EPS growth," Microsoft chief financial officer Peter Klein said.

Windows revenue was up 28 per cent, compared with the same quarter a year earlier, driven by strong demand for Windows 7.
    
"More than 10 per cent of all PCs worldwide are running Windows 7 today, making Windows 7 by far the fastest-selling operating system in the history," the statement said.
    
In its outlook, Microsoft expects operating expense guidance of $26.1 billion to $26.3 billion for the full- year ending June 30, 2010.
    
Earlier this week, other technology giants --Yahoo and Apple-- had also announced a rise in their profits.
    
Apple has registered a 90 per cent jump in net profit at $3.07 billion in the first three months of 2010, while Yahoo saw a nearly three-fold growth in net income at $310 million for the period.