What's not so clear is what this means for Microsoft's considerable consumer business.

With the heavy spending in its consumer businesses, it will now take a while.

It offers a complete range of consumer, business and private banking services.

Have you ever noticed how in consumer businesses the growth drivers are always the same?

The consumer business will have its own publicly traded stock, starting next year.

"It fits right into what we've been talking about doing with our consumer business."

There are also some European consumer businesses that may be on the block.

The company will focus on business customers and plans to issue a new stock to track its consumer businesses next year.

"And it is something that will cause people to lose faith in some of the American consumer businesses."

There's no such thing as national competition in the consumer business.