On a day when Apple blows $60-million (with an "m") to acquire the right to use "iPad" in China, Microsoft goes even further.... :eek:

Microsoft in $6.2bn write-down of aQuantive (http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-18684395)

Microsoft is taking a $6.2bn (£4bn) charge on the value of an online advertising firm bought five years ago.

Microsoft bought aQuantive for $6.3bn cash in an attempt to catch rival Google in the race to grow revenues from search-related advertising.

The write-down effectively wipes out the acquisition's value, although there was little impact on Microsoft's share in after-hours trading on Monday.The charge is likely to wipe out any profit for the company's fourth quarter. Wall Street was expecting Microsoft to report fourth-quarter net profit of about $5.25bn on 19 July.

In addition to the charge, Microsoft said its forecast for future growth and profitability at its online services arm - which includes the Bing search engine and MSN internet portal - are "lower than previous estimates."

(BBC (http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-18684395))

they can afford it, as it does says; it was wipes out this quarters profits..
unlike Rim : MS can bleed and still survive..
but still pretty amazing to be able to wipe out $6.2 Billion and keep moving on.. wish I had those problems. LOL