The Redmond-based technology firm announced its earnings for Q1 2013

Oct 19, 2012 06:43 GMT  ·  By

Microsoft’s profit for the first quarter of fiscal year 2013 dropped to $16 billion (€12.2 billion), while sales of the Windows division went down significantly ahead of the new Windows 8 debut.

Everybody is waiting to see the new Windows 8 at work, said company CEO Steve Ballmer, so sales and revenues are very likely to increase after the launch of the new operating system.

The company has earned a total of $16.01 billion (€12.2 billion) in Q1 FY 2013, below last year’s figures of $17.37 billion (€13.2 billion) for the same quarter.

As compared to the same period of FY 2012, sales of the Windows & Windows Live division went down 33 percent to $3.24 billion (€2.4 billion), while the Microsoft Business Division lost 2 percent before eventually stopping at $5.50 billion (€4.2 billion).

The online services division registered an increase of 9 percent to $697 million (€533 million), while server and tools sales grew up 8 percent to $4.55 billion (€3.4 billion).

Steve Ballmer says that sales and revenues are expected to skyrocket after Windows 8 goes live on October 26, so the profit drop is not worrying at all. The company has already confirmed its high expectations for the new OS, with millions of units forecast to be sold only in 2012.

“The launch of Windows 8 is the beginning of a new era at Microsoft,” CEO Steve Ballmer said in a press statement.

“Investments we've made over a number of years are now coming together to create a future of exceptional devices and services, with tremendous opportunity for our customers, developers, and partners.”