Microsoft quarterly earnings beat estimates

 　　SAN FRANCISCO, July 21 (Xinhua) -- Microsoft Corp. on Thursday posted strong quarterly earnings¹ in its fourth fiscal² quarter, with profit and revenue beating expectations from Wall Street analysts³.

　　For the quarter ended June 30, the world's largest software maker⁴ reported a net income of 5.87 billion U.S. dollars, or 69 cents per share, representing increases of 30 percent and 35 percent respectively when compared with the year-ago period.

　　Revenue for the quarter was 17.37 billion dollars, up by 8 percent from the same period a year earlier.

　　Wall Street analysts had expected a profit of 58 cents per share on a revenue of 17.23 billion dollars, according to Thomson Reuters.

　　For the whole fiscal year, Microsoft reported a record revenue of 69.94 billion dollars, a 12 percent increase from the prior fiscal year. Net income for the year was 23.15 billion dollars, accounting⁵ for an increase of 23 percent.

　　Among its business sectors⁶, Microsoft Business Division revenue grew 7 percent for the fourth quarter and 16 percent for the full year. Over 100 million licenses⁷ of office 2010 have been sold so far, said the company.

　　Primarily driven by growth in search revenue, the company's on- line services division revenue grew 17 percent for the fourth quarter and 15 percent for the full year. U.S. search share of Microsoft's search engine Bing increased 340 basis points year- over-year.

　　Microsoft said revenue of entertainment and devices division grew by 30 percent for the quarter and 45 percent for the year.

　　However, Windows and Windows Live revenue declined by 1 percent for the fourth quarter and decreased by 2 percent for the full year. Microsoft said estimated full-year revenue growth for the Windows division was in line with the sluggish⁸ PC market growth.

1 earnings   

n.工资收人；利润，利益，所得

参考例句：

• That old man lives on the earnings of his daughter.那个老人靠他女儿的收入维持生活。
• Last year there was a 20% decrease in his earnings.去年他的收入减少了20%。

2 fiscal   

adj.财政的，会计的，国库的，国库岁入的

参考例句：

• The increase of taxation is an important fiscal policy.增税是一项重要的财政政策。
• The government has two basic strategies of fiscal policy available.政府有两个可行的财政政策基本战略。

3 analysts   

分析家，化验员( analyst的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• City analysts forecast huge profits this year. 伦敦金融分析家预测今年的利润非常丰厚。
• I was impressed by the high calibre of the researchers and analysts. 研究人员和分析人员的高素质给我留下了深刻印象。

4 maker   

n.制造者，制造商

参考例句：

• He is a trouble maker，You must be distant with him.他是个捣蛋鬼，你不要跟他在一起。
• A cabinet maker must be a master craftsman.家具木工必须是技艺高超的手艺人。

5 accounting   

n.会计，会计学，借贷对照表

参考例句：

• A job fell vacant in the accounting department.财会部出现了一个空缺。
• There's an accounting error in this entry.这笔账目里有差错。

6 sectors   

n.部门( sector的名词复数 )；领域；防御地区；扇形

参考例句：

• Berlin was divided into four sectors after the war. 战后柏林分成了4 个区。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Industry and agriculture are the two important sectors of the national economy. 工业和农业是国民经济的两个重要部门。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》

7 licenses   

n.执照( license的名词复数 )v.批准，许可，颁发执照( license的第三人称单数 )

参考例句：

• Drivers have ten days' grace to renew their licenses. 驾驶员更换执照有10天的宽限期。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》
• Jewish firms couldn't get import or export licenses or raw materials. 犹太人的企业得不到进出口许可证或原料。 来自辞典例句

8 sluggish   

adj.懒惰的，迟钝的，无精打采的

参考例句：

• This humid heat makes you feel rather sluggish.这种湿热的天气使人感到懒洋洋的。
• Circulation is much more sluggish in the feet than in the hands.脚部的循环比手部的循环缓慢得多。