From ComputerWorld: Microsoft has reported better-than-expected financial results for the quarter just ended, helped by strong sales of cloud services like Office 365 and Azure.
Commercial cloud revenue more than doubled from a year earlier, the company announced Thursday, and online services like Bing and Xbox Live performed well.
The results were hurt by the weak PC market, however, with sales of Microsoft's Windows and Office software both declining. That meant that while sales were strong, profits declined from last year.
In a statement, CEO Satya Nadella talked of "incredible growth across our cloud services."
Revenue for the quarter, ended March 31, came in at $21.7 billion, up 6 percent from a year earlier, Microsoft said. That beat the analyst forecast of $21.1 billion, according to Thomson Reuters.
Earnings were $0.61 per share, down 10 percent from a year earlier but far ahead of the $0.51 analysts had forecast. Microsoft said results would have been significantly better if not for the effects of a strong dollar, which has been affecting most U.S. companies.
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