Windows 7 boosts Microsoft's 2Q profit by 60 per cent to $6.66 billion

Microsoft Corp registered 60-per cent jump in profit for the second-quarter ended 31 December 2009 as the software giant benefited from deferred revenue tied to the latest version of its flagship product, the Windows 7 operating system.

The software giant said while it has seen stabilisation from its corporate customers, it doesn't expect its enterprise business to post growth anytime soon.

''Exceptional demand for Windows 7 led to the positive top-line growth for the company,'' said Peter Klein, chief financial officer at Microsoft. ''Our continuing commitment to managing costs allowed us to drive earnings performance ahead of the revenue growth.''

The company announced record revenue of $19.02 billion for the three months, a 14 per cent increase from the same period of the prior year.

The company reported revenues of $12.92 billion for the first quarter ended 30 September 2009, down 14 per cent from the same quarter of the previous year (See: Microsoft July-September revenues down at $12.92 billion; net falls to $3.57 billion).

Operating income and diluted earnings per share for the quarter were $8.51 billion and $0.74 per share, which represented increases of 43 per cent and 57 per cent, respectively, when compared with the prior year period.