Microsoft has posted its first ever loss since the company went public in 1986 (26 years ago).The historic news came on Thursday, after the company announced that it was writing off almost the entire value of an online advertising service (aQuantive) it bought five years ago – that is about $6.2billion. The aQuantive setback is unlikely to faze investors, who usually focus on what lies ahead for a company instead of dwelling on past mistakes.
This meant that Microsoft lost nearly $500million (precisely $492 million) in the second quarter of 2012, its first quarterly loss as a publicly traded firm.
However, this announcement has not affect the company’s share price, as investors remain focused on the forthcoming launch of Windows 8, which will make or break the firm’s fortunes.
Windows 8 will feature a new look that will show applications in a mosaic of tiles and boast new technology that will enable the operating system to work on touch-controlled tablet computers, as well as its traditional stronghold on desktop and laptop computers. And in conjunction with Windows 8, Microsoft is planning to release its own tablet, the Surface.
