The company announced a revenue surge to US$13.76 billion (A$15.06 billion) for its third quarter to the end of September, a 27 per cent increase over the year-ago period and its faster growth since 1999.
Operating profit and net profit for the quarter were US$5.92 billion and US$4.29 billion respectively, making it a bumper quarter for the company on all measures.
The company pointed to outstanding sales of Halo 3, which achieved the biggest launch day return in game industry history, as one of the reasons for the strong quarter.
But demand had been strong across the board in all its business and entertainment sectors, with continued strong growth expected in the short term.
“This fiscal year is off to an outstanding start with the fastest revenue growth of any first quarter since 1999,” Microsoft chief financial officer Chris Liddell said.
“Operating income growth of over 30 per cent also reflects our ability to translate revenue into profits while making strategic investments for the future.”
“Customer demand for Windows Vista this quarter continued to build with double-digit growth in multi-year agreements by businesses and with the vast majority of consumers purchasing premium editions,” said Microsoft Platform and Services Division president Kevin Johnson.
Microsoft expects revenue for the full fiscal year to the end of next June to be in the range of US$58.8 billion to US$59.9 billion, with operating income of between US$23.3 billion and US$23.7 billion.
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