Microsoft’s Earnings Surpass Expectations - NYTimes.com

"Better living through lowered expectations"

"During the final three months of last year, Microsoft had a drop in overall sales from Windows, at least partly because of the Apple iPad, which sapped sales of low-end laptop computers. In its most recent quarter, sales of Windows PCs to consumers suffered because of the iPad.
Big business customers, though, picked up the slack, showing how Microsoft’s products are entrenched within one of the most lucrative sectors of the technology market.
“It was nothing to get superexcited about, but relative to what we were experiencing, it’s better than a poke in the eye,” Rick Sherlund, an analyst at Nomura Securities, said of the Windows sales."

Microsoft’s Earnings Surpass Expectations - NYTimes.com