Apparent chip shortages have hit one of the world’s largest software companies, Microsoft, and its lineup of Surface PCs.
Microsoft reported net income of $16.5 billion (up 47 percent from a year ago) on revenue of $46.2 billion, an increase of 21 percent over the same period. But two key businesses suffered as a result of ongoing supply issues.
Microsoft said that Surface revenue dropped 20 percent, or by $348 million, to $1.376 billion. In a statement, Microsoft said the shortfall was driven by “supply chain constraints,” without specifying what those constraints were. Microsoft also said that Windows OEM revenue decreased 3 percent, “with continued PC demand impacted by supply chain constraints.” (Unfortunately, Microsoft executives didn’t clarify what those supply-chain issues actually were during an earnings call.)
Microsoft launched the Surface Laptop 4 during the second quarter, a solid notebook. Otherwise, Surface sales were predicated upon the Surface Pro 7+, Microsoft’s latest entrant into the Windows 2-in-1 tablet market.
After the call, Microsoft issued a statement addressing the Surface issues, saying that the company currently can’t meet demand.
“Demand for Surface devices remains strong, with new products like Surface Laptop 4 earning incredible praise from tech reviewers. With such high interest and the same component shortages facing the entire consumer electronics industry, we currently see demand outpacing supply. Microsoft is committed to working closely with our industry partners to catch up and again provide customers the full breadth of options we offer with Surface. In the meantime, if a particular product is unavailable, we invite people to explore the entire family of Surface products.”
Unfortunately, Microsoft still didn’t say which components were affecting the supply of Surface devices, although other suppliers have reported an inability to obtain certain chips. But sources close to the company report that the shortages have resulted in significant lead times and supply volatility for Surface devices, but that they’re not affecting Surfaces equally, either. In other words, supply across the various Surface devices will vary, they said.
Interestingly, Microsoft’s other key hardware business, the Xbox game console, was apparently not affected. Microsoft said that division’s revenue, driven by the Xbox Series X and Series S, had increased 172 percent to an undisclosed amount, “driven by higher price and volume of consoles sold.” Xbox content and services revenue dropped, however, due to a decline in third-party titles, the company said. Also, strong sales during the 2020 pandemic made 2021 look weaker by comparison.
In general, Microsoft’s More Personal Computing segment, which includes PCs and Windows, reported $4.873B in operating income, compared to $4.091B a year ago. Revenue climbed from $12.9 billion a year ago to $14.1B in the current quarter. Productivity and Business Processes, which includes Office, reported $6.4B in operating income, up from $4.0B a year ago, on $14.7B of revenue.
Updated on August 3 at 2:08 PM with additional details.