Microsoft Posts Record Revenue — but Xbox Is Slipping

Microsoft reported record revenues of $17.41 billion for the past quarter, but profits slipped 2.4% from the same period a year earlier, down from $5.23 billion to $5.11 billion.

PC sales were sluggish due to the twin pressures of a hard-disk shortage brought on by flooding in parts of Asia and the ongoing shift from traditional computers to mobile devices such as tablets.

Microsoft’s tablet strategy won’t be fully realized until the fall, when Windows tablets are expected to debut alongside the company’s new PC operating system, Windows 8.

Microsoft also took a hit in its Xbox division, with revenues dropping 16%, which Microsoft blames on a soft game console market. Nonetheless, the company remains upbeat about the Xbox platform, pointing out it’s currently the market leader, and has been for more than a year.

“We’ve really staked out a unique value proposition,” said Microsoft CFO Peter Klein on an earnings call. “We view Xbox Live as a persistent long-term revenue stream. We feel great about out leadership position.”

The good news was from the company’s business-oriented products, like Office 365, Lync and Sharepoint, and there was double-digit revenue growth in those areas. Microsoft attributes its growing strength in the enterprise market to its unique offerings, particularly with cloud services.

SEE ALSO: Microsoft Reveals Its Plan to Sell Windows 8 “Businesses are investing in data centers and desktops because the see technology as a way to cut costs and improve their strategic positioning,” said Klein.

“I think investors sometimes put companies in a box and say you’re either in private cloud or public cloud, and we’re in both,” added Bill Koefoed, Microsoft’s general manager of investor relations.

“We’re really the only company that’s got that breadth of offerings. We’ve kind of coined this term ‘hybrid IT,’ where you can use both to manage your IT infrastructure.”

Microsoft said it was also trying to bring its growing Windows Phone platform to more people, particularly with the recent high-profile launches of the Nokia Lumia 900 and HTC Titan II.

In the past three months, the number of apps in the Windows Phone Marketplace has doubled, Microsoft said — though it didn’t give a total number.

What kind of future do you see for Microsoft and its brands? Let us know in the comments.

Intelligent Solutions of Intelligent States innovation contest takes place in Yerevan

YEREVAN. - The first round of the Intelligent Solutions of Intelligent States innovation contest took place, during which 30 youths presented around 14 innovations, the Association of IT Enterprises informed Armenian News-NEWS.am.

During the first round innovative and competitive ideas were selected and working teams were created. The working teams must complete and present their business ideas by May 1, 2012. During further rounds of the contest the teams will create business models of their ideas and will develop experimental prototypes for their businesses.

The best prototypes will be presented during the DigiTech Business Forum on June 15-16 and during the Eurasia International Youth Conference on May 17-19.

What a dog's breed says about its owner

Dogs are often said to look like their owners, but the breed someone chooses could also reveal key aspects of their personality, psychologists claim, The Telegraph reports.

People are subconsciously drawn towards different types of dog depending on their lifestyle and character, they found. Corgi owners, such as the Queen, tend to be extroverted while Sir Isaac Newton's pomeranian could have signaled that he was creative and intelligent, the study suggested.

The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge's choice of a cocker spaniel puppy, Lupo, may reflect that they are agreeable and conscientious, while owners of greyhounds and beagles are more likely to be emotionally stable.

This could be because, like in a romantic relationship, we tend to subconsciously match ourselves with pets that we feel we share something in common with, researchers from Bath Spa University found.

It could also be down to our lifestyle, with active dogs like retrievers and greyhounds appealing more to people who enjoy spending time outdoors, they added.

Dr Lance Workman and Jo Fearon surveyed 1,000 dog owners via an online questionnaire on behalf of the Kennel Club. The questions were designed to test the so-called "Big Five" traits that govern our personality: extroversion, agreeableness, emotional stability, conscientiousness and intelligence.

Presenting their findings at the British Psychological Society's annual conference in London, Dr Workman said there was a definite link between a dog's temperament and their owner's personality.

He said: "I think when you look for a dog at some level, largely subconsciously, you look for something that is a bit like you. "It's a bit like a romantic partner. If they fit in they will probably last, and contrary to popular opinion with romantic partners opposites don't attract - you need to have a lot in common if it's going to last.

"But it also has to fit in with your lifestyle, so if you're going to get a gun dog or a hound dog or pastoral dog you need to be an outdoors type person."

Someone's choice of dog could also reveal hidden personality traits that do not immediately come across from watching them or listening to them speak.

The Queen's fondness for corgis, for example, may signal that she is more extrovert than she appears to be, Dr Workman explained.

He said: "It takes a lot to get up and stand up in front of the number of people she does as often as she does, and give a good talk, and at the same time she has to be controlled as the head of state.

"Whereas the minor royals can party she's never been able to do that, so I think the personality that we see appears less extrovert than she actually is."