Microsoft beats forecasts with $6.4 bn profit

Microsoft on Thursday said its profit dipped slightly from a year earlier but posted record revenues in the past quarter, getting a lift from sales of its Windows 8 operating system.

Profit dipped 3.7 percent from a year earlier to $6.38 billion, better than most forecasts, while revenues rose 2.7 percent to $21.46 billion, a record for the US tech giant.