Windows 10's upgrade model temporarily wipes $1.6B from Microsoft's books

Microsoft's decision to radically change the distribution and maintenance of Windows 10 put a $1.6 billion temporary dent in its revenue, the company said Thursday.
In a filing covering the March quarter, Microsoft pointed to the revenue deferral of Windows 10 -- a relatively new way of accounting for the Redmond, Wash. company -- as a reason for the 6% year-over-year decline in revenue.
"Revenue decreased $1.2 billion or 6%, primarily due to the impact of a net revenue deferral related to Wind