A lot has happened in the past few weeks for Microsoft. The software titan unleashed the Windows 8.1 Preview, organized two annual company events, and unveiled a massive new restructuring plan to redefine its future strategy.
And oh, there was also a small matter of quarterly financial earnings, which were surprising in their own right. The numbers were solid, but the one-time $900 million Surface RT write-down was enough to raise a few eyebrows.
CEO Steve Ballmer, nevertheless, expects the company to be back on track in the coming months. But according to some analyst that is not going to happen, at least not as soon.
Colin W. Gillis, a BGC analyst wrote in a research note that Microsoft has a tough year ahead, and the company will continue to have to face difficulties in the coming months — more so, because the PC market is showing no sign of recovery anytime soon.
According to ValueWalk, Redmond’s online division is likely to continue its financial decline, leaving the technology titan to pour finances into the unit.
Bing has shown some impressive signs of growth lately, and managed some important new partnerships (with Apple as the default search choice on iOS devices), but it is still a few leagues behind Google, the current and prevailing search leader.
Nevertheless, while the different pieces of the codename Blue puzzle are slowly shaping up, how they fall into place will define the direction that Microsoft takes with Windows 9 (and related version updates for its other products.
Few can deny the importance the next year holds for the company — the next few months, in fact.
