Microsoft Corporation (MSFT) – The Easiest Way to Lose Money Right Now: Bet Against Windows 8.1

With more than a third of Windows’ market share running on technologically antiquated software, and the stock market showing signs of a pulse in recent months, IT departments everywhere are making plans for computer refreshes.

With Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL)‘s Mac OS still not quite ready for most enterprise environments and Windows 8 not everyone’s cup of tea (“Hey, where’s my start button?”), those IT departments decided to wait again. Ball two.

But now we have Windows 8.1 in public beta, and it’s made some changes (“Oh, there it is.”).

When you combine the recent economic uptick with an aging fleet of corporate computers and the release of a new OS that answers users’ previous complaints, you’ve got a home run on your hands. Add to that the fact that governments, which are some of Microsoft Corporation (NASDAQ:MSFT)’s biggest volume customers, are typically required to purchase the latest versions of available software, and that home run starts heading for the back fence.

Bottom Line: Microsoft Isn’t Dying

While Windows 8.1 has huge potential written all over it, it certainly isn’t the only product Microsoft Corporation (NASDAQ:MSFT) has on its growing shelf. Xbox One will arrive in time for the holiday shopping season, Office 2013 is now a subscription service, which means year after year returns. Bing search now powers both Yahoo! Inc. (NASDAQ:YHOO)‘s and Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL)’s iOS search results. And the cloud computing service Azure is growing, to the tune of $1 billion in revenue in the last 12 months. Microsoft isn’t going away, despite what your friendly neighborhood hipster might have you believe.

Quite the opposite, in fact. Microsoft Corporation (NASDAQ:MSFT) has been steadily growing, has a number of new products ready to make you money, and is heading into a perfect storm of corporate and government spending to boost its year-end and 2014 Q1 sales.

The article The Easiest Way to Lose Money Right Now: Bet Against Windows 8.1 originally appeared on Fool.com and is written by Joe Hinrichs.

Joe Hinrichs has no position in any stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool recommends Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL). The Motley Fool owns shares of Apple and Microsoft Corporation (NASDAQ:MSFT). Joe is a member of The Motley Fool Blog Network — entries represent the personal opinion of the blogger and are not formally edited.

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