Microsoft Outlines Revenue Recognition for the O

REDMOND, Wash. — September 17, 2012 — Microsoft Corp. today announced the details of the Office offer providing consumers, students and small businesses who buy qualifying Office 2010 or Office for Mac 2011 the option to upgrade during the time of promotion.

Starting October 19, people who purchase Office 2010 or Office for Mac 2011 will qualify to download, for free, one year of Office 365 Home Premium or the equivalent Office 2013 offering, when available. Small business customers in applicable markets will also be eligible for a three-month trial of Office 365 Small Business Premium.

For additional details on the Office offer, please see the company’s announcement at http://blogs.office.com/b/office-news/ .

In association with the Office offer, Microsoft will defer revenue from eligible sales under the program to the earlier of the fulfillment date or the program’s expiration date. For the first quarter of fiscal year 2013, Microsoft will defer an estimated $100 million to $140 million of revenue related to licenses sold into distribution channels that will be subsequently sold to end customers under the terms of the offer. The deferral only impacts the timing of revenue recognition and will not impact cash flows from operations.

About Microsoft

Founded in 1975, Microsoft (Nasdaq “MSFT”) is the worldwide leader in software, services and solutions that help people and businesses realize their full potential.

Forward-Looking Statements

Statements in this release that are “forward-looking statements” are based on current expectations and assumptions that are subject to risks and uncertainties. Actual results could differ materially because of factors such as:

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  execution and competitive risks in transitioning to cloud-based computing;

  
  


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  challenges to Microsoft’s business model;

  
  


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  intense competition in all of Microsoft’s markets;

  
  


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  Microsoft’s continued ability to protect its intellectual property rights;

  
  


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  claims that Microsoft has infringed the intellectual property rights of others;

  
  


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  the possibility of unauthorized disclosure of significant portions of Microsoft’s source code;

  
  


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  actual or perceived security vulnerabilities in Microsoft products that could reduce revenue or lead to liability;

  
  


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  improper disclosure of personal data that could result in liability and harm to Microsoft’s reputation;

  
  


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  outages and disruptions of services provided to customers directly or through third parties if Microsoft fails to maintain an adequate operations infrastructure;

  
  


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  government litigation and regulation affecting how Microsoft designs and markets its products;

  
  


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  Microsoft’s ability to attract and retain talented employees;

  
  


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  delays in product development and related product release schedules;

  
  


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  significant business investments that may not gain customer acceptance and produce offsetting increases in revenue;

  
  


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  unfavorable changes in general economic conditions, disruption of our partner networks or sales channels, or the availability of credit that affect demand for Microsoft’s products and services or the value of our investment portfolio;

  
  


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  adverse results in legal disputes;

  
  


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  unanticipated tax liabilities;

  
  


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  quality or supply problems in Microsoft’s consumer hardware or other vertically integrated hardware and software products;

  
  


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  impairment of goodwill or amortizable intangible assets causing a charge to earnings;

  
  


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  exposure to increased economic and regulatory uncertainties from operating a global business;

  
  


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  geopolitical conditions, natural disaster, cyberattack or other catastrophic events disrupting Microsoft’s business; and

  
  


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  acquisitions, joint ventures and strategic alliances that adversely affect the business.

  
  

For further information regarding risks and uncertainties associated with Microsoft’s business, please refer to the “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations” and “Risk Factors” sections of Microsoft’s SEC filings, including, but not limited to, its annual report on Form 10-K and quarterly reports on Form 10-Q, copies of which may be obtained by contacting Microsoft’s Investor Relations department at (800) 285-7772 or at Microsoft’s Investor Relations website at http://www.microsoft.com/investor/ .

All information in this release is as of September 17, 2012. The company undertakes no duty to update any forward-looking statement to conform the statement to actual results or changes in the company’s expectations.

For more information, financial analysts and investors only:

Bill Koefoed, general manager, Investor Relations, (425) 706-4400

Note to editors: For more information, news and perspectives from Microsoft, please visit the Microsoft News Center at http://www.microsoft.com/news/ . Web links, telephone numbers and titles were correct at time of publication, but may since have changed. Shareholder and financial information is available at http://www.microsoft.com/investor/ .