The Dividend Daily

Market researcher the NPD Group reported disappointing Windows 8 sales for software juggernaut Microsoft Corporation (MSFT) on Thursday.

Data from the NPD Group showed that total Windows 8 revenue is down significantly compared with Windows 7 sales in 2011. NPD reported that Windows unit sales declined 21% from last year, accounting for the 9% decrease in notebook sales, and the 24% decline in PC sales.

MSFT reported that approximately 40 million licences of Windows 8 were sold since it was released in October. 58% of these licenses were already preloaded in computers sold, while the remaining 42% were purchased by users upgrading from a previous version of windows.

It’s also possible the company may reduce the number of Surface RT tablets it plans on ordering to 2 million, half of what was originally expected. The new Surface Pro product is expected to be released in January, with the starting price of $899. Current models are on sale for $499.

NPD vice president Stephen Baker noted that Windows 8 doesn’t appear to be “the impetus for a sales turnaround some had hoped for.”

Microsoft shares were down 45 cents, or -1.64% during Thursday afternoon trading. The stock is up 3.64% year-to-date.

Microsoft Corporation(MSFT) is not recommended at this time, holding a Dividend.com DARS™ Rating of 3.4 out of 5 stars.

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