The recent news about the Windows release being delayed until after te holiday period is a plain strange business decision, but with the company fighting the EU, and Linux and Apple squaring up, Microsoft's golden days are probably over.
It does seem like they are struggling. I think Apple is poised to finally compete on nearly even footing with microsoft, even if they have to leverage windows to do it.
I also recently read that the 360 has significantly dampened their profitability and probably will for the entire year. I might not give up on Microsoft yet... It seems like they may just be in an extended lull. I suspect when Vista finally does come out things might change again.
Triumph, I tend to agree about Microsoft. While I wouldn't go crazy at this point throwing new money at this stock, I have faith that Bill Gates will somehow right this ship - the guy is just too sharp not to.
Microsoft is quite a behemoth - even if it stock underperforms, the company continues to have marketing clout. The real problem with 360 is that Sony can and is outperforming it in the game consoles market - think the ration of Playstations to Xbox is around 5:1. If Microsoft can push Xbox up in terms of market share, it could be a profitable longer-term investment indeed.
Microsoft Downgraded
