Microsoft Delivers Another Monster Quarter
- Paul Thurrott
- Jan 25, 2022
-
6
Today, Microsoft announced that it earned a net income of $18.8 billion on revenues of $51.7 billion for the quarter ending December 31, 2021. Those figures represent gains of 21 percent and 20 percent, respectively, indicating that Microsoft’s pandemic-era boom is not over yet.
“Digital technology is the most malleable resource at the world’s disposal to overcome constraints and reimagine everyday work and life,” Microsoft chairman and CEO Satya Nadella said. “As tech as a percentage of global GDP continues to increase, we are innovating and investing across diverse and growing markets, with a common underlying technology stack and an operating model that reinforces a common strategy, culture, and sense of purpose.”
Windows Intelligence In Your Inbox
Sign up for our new free newsletter to get three time-saving tips each Friday — and get free copies of Paul Thurrott's Windows 11 and Windows 10 Field Guides (normally $9.99) as a special welcome gift!
"*" indicates required fields
Microsoft has three core businesses, Intelligent Cloud, Productivity and Business Processes, and More Personal Computing, and each experienced double-digit growth in the quarter.
Intelligent Cloud delivered $18.3 billion in revenues, a gain of 26 percent year-over-year (YOY). Azure and other cloud services revenue grew 46 percent in the quarter while server products and cloud services revenue was up 29 percent. And the Enterprise Mobility installed base grew 28 percent to over 209 million seats.
More Personal Computing delivered $17.5 billion in revenues and 15 percent growth. Windows revenues from PC makers jumped 25 percent in the quarter, Xbox content and services revenue grew 10 percent, and Surface revenue grew just 8 percent; still, that’s better than the prior two consecutive quarters when Surface revenues declined.
Productivity and Business Processes added $15.9 billion in revenues, and it experienced 19 percent growth. Office commercial saw a revenue gain of 14 percent while Office consumer revenue was up 15 percent, with the Microsoft 365 consumer subscriber base reaching 56.4 million seats with 19 percent growth YOY.
A few key takeaways related to the part of Microsoft I care about the most (More Personal Computing):
- Microsoft called out Surface Laptop for driving the 8 percent revenue growth in the quarter. That is fascinating since Surface Laptop is the only major Surface PC that was not updated during or just before that quarter. One has to wonder what that means for the new products.
- Gaming revenue grew 8 percent overall in the quarter, which isn’t a lot, but remember that Microsoft launched Xbox Series X|S in the year-ago quarter and inventory remains problematic. But Xbox hardware revenue was only up 4 percent.
- The 25 percent growth in Windows revenues from PC makers includes 6 points of positive impact related to Windows 11. Windows commercial products and cloud services revenue was up 13 percent.
Conversation 6 comments
-
blue77star
<p>Crazy how much money they make on Cloud which is cluster garbage, for example D365 which has nothing but problems and customers constantly yelling.</p>