Windows 10 Now on Over 200 Million Devices; Lumia Q4 Sales at Just 4.5 Million, Surface Going Strong

The Redmond, Washington-based tech company reported $5 billion in profit on nearly $24 billion in sales for the quarter ending December 31. Revenue and profit were both down from a year ago, but after adjusting for deferred revenue and one-time costs, the numbers were better than Wall Street analysts expected.

Microsoft beat Wall Street's estimates for sales in key segments. Those include its cloud-computing segment, which lets commercial customers run their businesses on Microsoft's servers, and the division that sells PC software, Surface tablets and Xbox gaming consoles. Adjusted earnings amounted to 78 cents a share, while analysts polled by FactSet had expected adjusted earnings of 71 cents.

Microsoft only sold 4.5 million Lumia phones in the recent quarter, compared to the 10.5 million sold last year.

Long a dominant seller of PC-based software, Microsoft has seen its profit decline as conafters and businesses buy fewer PCs, cutting into licensing fees Microsoft gets from computer-makers. The last major upgrade of its operating system, known as Windows 8, was widely viewed as a flop, which hurt PC sales even more.

Nadella, who was named to the top job in 2014, has been pushing Microsoft to adapt to a world where people are increasingly using mobile gadgets, and where businesses are moving more of their operations to remote data centres, accessed via the Internet.

Microsoft broke with tradition last July by releasing Windows 10 as a free upgrade for older PCs, with no charge for future updates. It's also redesigned other popular products, such as the Office word-processing and spreadsheet programs, to work as mobile apps for devices running operating systems made by its rivals, Apple and Google.

The goal is to get people using Microsoft's latest products, no matter what kind of device they prefer, said Frank Gillett, a tech analyst with Forrester Research. He said that should give Microsoft more opportunities to make money by selling premium features or apps, such as online storage, Skype minutes or music and games.

The company is already seeing an increase in sales of apps and online advertising, tied to new features in Windows 10, Nadella told analysts Thursday.