Microsoft

Microsoft
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Coordinates:

473822.55N 122742.42W
Microsoft

Type

Public
NASDAQ: MSFT
SEHK: 4338

Traded as

Dow Jones Industrial

Average component
NASDAQ-100
component
S&P 500 component

Industry

Computer software
Online services
Video games

When it was
created

Albuquerque, New Mexico,

United States (April 4, 1975)

People who
started it

Bill Gates, Paul Allen

Headquarters

Microsoft Redmond Campus,

Redmond, Washington, U.S.

Area served

Worldwide

Key people
Satya Nadella (CEO)

John W. Thompson
(Chairman)
Things made

See listing

Services

See listing

Money earned

US$ 73.72 billion (2012)[1]

Operating
income

US$ 21.76 billion (2012)[1]

Net income

US$ 16.97 billion (2012)[1]

Total assets

US$ 121.2 billion (2012)[1]

Total equity

US$ 66.36 billion (2012)[1]

Employees

94,000 (2012)[1]

Website

Microsoft.com
References:

[2]

Microsoft Corporation (NASDAQ:MSFT) is a company that makes computer software and

video games for users around the world. Bill Gates and Paul Allen started the company in 1975.
[3]
Microsoft makes Windows, Microsoft Office (including Microsoft Word), Edge, MSN and the
Xbox One, among others. Most Microsoft programs cannot be downloaded for free - people have
to buy them in a shop or online. Some products (like the Windows operating system) are often
already installed when people buy a new computer.

Contents

1 Software

2 Services and hardware

3 References

4 Other websites

Software
Microsoft Windows is an operating system, which means that it is the basic software that makes
people's computers work and lets other programs work. Most computers, including mobile
devices, have some kind of operating system. The latest version of Windows is Windows 10.

Microsoft Office is an office suite. It lets people write documents on their computer with
Microsoft Word, make charts and graphs with Microsoft Excel and make presentations with
Microsoft PowerPoint.
Internet Explorer is a piece of software that lets people look at things online (known as
browsing) and download things from the Internet.
Microsoft also makes other programs for the Internet. Many of them are called Windows Live
services, with the name Windows Live put in front of the old name of the service, like Windows
Live Hotmail, which is an email service. However, the Windows Live name is not being used
much anymore. Microsoft runs a service called Bing on the internet which lets people search for
things like photos or information online.
MS-DOS is the first existing operating system developed by Microsoft, used for primitive
computers and terminals.
Microsoft Sharepoint is a server tool included in Microsoft Office (2007, 2013). Microsoft
Expression series is a web development tool which is now discontinued. Minecraft and many
other programs have been bought by Microsoft and developed further.

Services and hardware

Skype is also a service by Microsoft. It was not started by Microsoft, but was later purchased by
Microsoft. Skype is a free program that lets people call other people, either through the
telephone, or through Skype on the other person's computer.
The Xbox, the Xbox 360 and the new Xbox One are video game consoles, which means they let
people play video games when connected to their televisions. Microsoft is one of the three big
companies that make video game consoles. The other two are Nintendo and Sony. Xbox Live is a
service that lets people play online against other people anywhere in the world. Microsoft also
makes many PC games.
Microsoft also has many other small products such as tablet computers and computer peripherals
including mice and keyboards that are used with computers. The Microsoft Surface is an
example, which is a laptop/tablet convertible.