While the Xbox 360 has been getting all the attention lately, financial analysts are more interested in the performance of Windows Vista, which will be reflected in Microsoft's fourth-quarter and full-year financial report today.
The company said it expects earnings for the quarter of $5.0 billion to $5.2 billion, before a charge of up to $1.15 billion related to problems with Xbox 360 hardware.
That would translate to earnings per share of 37 to 39 cents the average of analyst predictions is 39 cents before the impact of the Xbox charge.
The charge, from a warranty extension on the game consoles, could trim up to 8 cents a share from earnings.
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