Windows 95 purchases top million units
Article Abstract:
Microsoft announced that retail sales of its new Windows 95 operating system passed the 1 million unit mark after only four days of selling, which represents a record for the computer software industry. The sales pace meets or exceeds most analysts expectations, and 82% of retailers state that sales have exceeded their expectations also. Some analysts thought that the company's first day sales would be higher considering the massive marketing campaign promoting the product. Microsoft estimates that its sales via the distribution channel, which are not included in retail sales figures, were between 8 and 11 million units. Distribution channel sales are primarily through new computers. The company must rely on upgrade sales to gage the new product's success because these sales will indicate how many of the 100 million PC users are switching to Windows 95 from the older Windows 3.1. Microsoft's good news has been tempered by news that its customer support services have been swamped by customers requesting installation help.
Publication Name: The Wall Street Journal Western Edition
Subject: Business, general
ISSN: 0193-2241
Year: 1995
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Windows 95 birthday isn't gala for all
Article Abstract:
Microsoft's Windows 95 operating system sold 40 million copies in its first year, but sales have not met the expectations of some industry observers and applications developers. Corporations and users have not migrated from their Windows systems as expected and most Windows 95 sales are related to the purchase of new systems. Dataquest Inc has lowered its 1996 sales projections for Windows 95 by 27 percent to 45.7 million units. The market-research company originally estimated Windows 95 sales for the last four months of 1995 at 30 million, but just 18.5 million copies were actually sold. Microsoft says the sales met its own projections, but the media frenzy accompanying Windows 95's introduction escalated expectations beyond their control. Many third-party developers gambled on the operating systems' success and suffered disappointing sales as a result.
Publication Name: The Wall Street Journal Western Edition
Subject: Business, general
ISSN: 0193-2241
Year: 1996
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Microsoft earnings increased by 54%, topping estimates
Article Abstract:
Microsoft has posted profits of $575 million for the fiscal quarter ended Dec 31, 1995, surprising investors and analysts concerned about the flagging sales of the company's highly-touted Windows 95. The earnings represent an increase of 54% from the same quarter in 1994, and total revenue increased from $1.48 billion to $2.19 billion for the period. Microsoft officials credit strong sales of Windows NT, Excel and Word for the dramatic increase, as well as generally strong sales for Windows 95. However, company officials confirm that sales of the operating system since its Aug 1995 introduction have steadily declined and are not meeting the overly-optimistic forecasts of some industry analysts.
Publication Name: The Wall Street Journal Western Edition
Subject: Business, general
ISSN: 0193-2241
Year: 1996
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