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How Apple's profits stack up against Google and Microsoft

How Apple's profits stack up against Google and Microsoft

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Earnings Lede
Earnings Lede

With Apple's earnings posting today, and Microsoft's and Google's last week, we now have the financial results for three of the largest consumer technology companies in the world. It's safe to say that the second quarter of 2013 has been a tough one for all involved.

All three companies disappointed in some areas, but nonetheless remain extremely profitable. Google's wealth grew significantly this quarter, but even with revenue and profit growth pegged at around 15.5 percent year-over-year, Wall Street were left cold; revenues and profits fell short of expectations.

Microsoft, on the other hand, was always unlikely to see profits drop year-over-year: last year's calendar Q2 saw a huge $6.19 billion "goodwill impairment charge" related to its disastrous acquisition of aQuantive. That said, relatively static Windows revenue, despite the launch and continued push of its Windows 8 and Windows RT operating systems, and a $900 million write-off on its Surface RT tablet, gave investors cause for concern.

Apple also had a troubling quarter, with flat revenues and significantly lower profits than this time last year. The company is making far less revenue per device than it has done in the past, and that's impacting it's bottom line significantly.

Q2 may have been a difficult quarter, but It's fair to say that none of the three are really struggling. Net profit margins — a tricky figure to use comparatively — are healthy, revenues are high, and profits remain astronomical.