Microsoft doesn’t need Windows anymore, by Steven J. Vaughan-Nichols. The Windows operating system now accounts for a mere 10% of the company’s revenue. Windows for years was the undisputed cash cow for Microsoft, and the company just rolled out a new version, Windows 10, that has been deemed a great improvement over its immediate predecessor, Windows 8.

The biggest cash generator for Microsoft is now server and cloud divisions, then gaming (mainly Xboxes), then Microsoft Office (Word, Excel, PowerPoint, etc.), then Windows. While Windows remains the most popular desktop operating system by a large margin, the desktop has become less important.

Microsoft is now exporting much of its software to run on iOS and Android as well as Windows. Office is becoming a cloud program, not a desktop program. Microsoft is well on its way to becoming a cloud and services company and not a desktop company.

hat-tip Matthew