Microsoft earnings fall short as computer sales sag

San Francisco: Microsoft on Tuesday said that its earnings in the recently ended quarter fell shy of expectations as personal computer sales suffered from production holdups in China and sagging demand.

The US technology giant reported profit of $16.7 billion on revenue of $51.9 billion, topping the same quarter a year earlier but missing market forecasts.

The earnings stumble was due mostly to foreign exchange rates and shutdowns of personal computer factories in China, Wedbush analyst Dan Ives said in a note to investors.