IBM Reports 2008 First-Quarter Results

--  Diluted earnings of $1.65 per share, up 36 percent;

    --  Total revenues of $24.5 billion, up 11 percent;

    --  Global Technology Services revenues up 17 percent; pre-tax income up 45
        percent;

    --  Global Business Services revenues up 17 percent; pre-tax income up 23
        percent;

    --  Software revenues up 14 percent; pre-tax income up 22 percent;

    --  65 percent of revenues from outside the U.S.; E/ME/A revenues up 16
        percent; Asia Pacific up 14 percent; U.S. up 6 percent;

    --  Services signings of $10.8 billion at constant currency; $12.6 billion
        at actual rates.
                  IBM
                  

IBM (NYSE: IBM) today announced first- quarter 2008 diluted earnings of $1.65
per share from continuing operations compared with diluted earnings of $1.21 per
share in the first quarter of 2007, an increase of 36 percent as reported.
First- quarter income from continuing operations was $2.3 billion compared with
$1.8 billion in the first quarter of 2007, an increase of 26 percent. Total
revenues for the first quarter of 2008 of $24.5 billion increased 11 percent (4
percent, adjusting for currency) from the first quarter of 2007.

'IBM had a very good quarter, and a good start to 2008. These results reinforce
our confidence in IBM's ability to perform well in a dynamic global economy. Our
performance is a tribute to the way we have repositioned our company over the
past several years, as well as the hard work of IBMers across the globe,' said
Samuel J. Palmisano, IBM chairman, president and chief executive officer.

'IBM is a different company today, with a number of unique advantages: our
global reach and scale, our strength in profitable growth segments, strong
recurring revenue and profit streams, products and services that create real
value for clients, and the discipline and financial strength and flexibility
that enables us to adjust our business model as conditions require.

'We feel good about the rest of the year.'

From a geographic perspective, the Americas' first-quarter revenues were $9.9
billion, an increase of 8 percent as reported (6 percent, adjusting for
currency) from the 2007 period. Revenues from Europe/Middle East/Africa were
$8.8 billion, up 16 percent (4 percent, adjusting for currency). Asia-Pacific
revenues increased 14 percent (3 percent, adjusting for currency) to $5.1
billion. OEM revenues were $696 million, down 16 percent compared with the 2007
first quarter. Revenues from the countries in IBM's growth markets unit were up
11 percent at constant currency and represent about 17 percent of the company's
total revenue.

Total Global Services revenues grew 17 percent (9 percent, adjusting for
currency) with strong double-digit growth in all lines of businesses. Global
Technology Services segment revenues increased 17 percent (9 percent, adjusting
for currency) to $9.7 billion. Global Business Services segment revenues
increased 17 percent (9 percent, adjusting for currency) to $4.9 billion. IBM
signed services contracts totaling $10.8 billion, adjusting for currency, down 2
percent ($12.6 billion, at actual rates, up 6 percent). Short-term signings
increased 6 percent to $5.6 billion, adjusting for currency (up 13 percent, at
actual rates, to $6.5 billion). The company ended the first quarter with an
estimated services backlog, including Strategic Outsourcing, Business
Transformation Outsourcing, Integrated Technology Services, Global Business
Services and Maintenance, of $118 billion, adjusting for currency, an increase
of more than $2 billion year over year.

Revenues from the Systems and Technology segment totaled $4.2 billion for the
quarter, down 7 percent (12 percent, adjusting for currency). Revenues decreased
2 percent excluding the year-to-year impact of the Printing System Division
divestiture in June 2007. Systems and Technology revenues from System z server
products increased 10 percent versus the year-ago period, which reflects the
successful introduction of the new z10 enterprise class server. Total delivery
of System z computing power, which is measured in MIPS (millions of instructions
per second), increased 14 percent. Revenues from the System p UNIX server
products increased 2 percent compared with the 2007 period and revenues from the
System x servers were flat year over year. Revenues from the System i servers
decreased 21 percent. Revenues from System Storage increased 10 percent and
revenues from Technology decreased 20 percent.

Revenues from the Software segment were $4.8 billion, an increase of 14 percent
(6 percent, adjusting for currency) compared with the first quarter of 2007.
Revenues from IBM's middleware products, which primarily include WebSphere,
Information Management, Tivoli, Lotus and Rational products, were $3.8 billion,
up 16 percent versus the first quarter of 2007. Operating systems revenues of
$529 million increased 1 percent compared with the prior-year quarter.

For the WebSphere family of software products, which facilitate customers'
ability to manage a wide variety of business processes using open standards to
interconnect applications, data and operating systems, revenues increased 20
percent. Revenues for Information Management software, which enables clients to
leverage information on demand, increased 27 percent and includes growth from
the acquisition of Cognos, which closed in the quarter. Revenues from Tivoli
software, infrastructure software that enables clients to centrally manage
networks including security and storage capability, increased 9 percent, and
revenues for Lotus software, which allows collaborating and messaging by clients
in real-time communication and knowledge management, increased 17 percent year
over year. Revenues from Rational software, integrated tools to improve the
processes of software development, increased 3 percent compared with the
year-ago quarter.

Global Financing segment revenues increased 3 percent (down 3 percent, adjusting
for currency) in the first quarter to $633 million.

The company's total gross profit margin was 41.5 percent in the 2008 first
quarter compared with 40.2 percent in the 2007 period.

Total expense and other income increased 11 percent to $7.0 billion compared to
$6.3 billion in the prior-year period. SG&A expense increased 10 percent to $5.6
billion. RD&E expense increased 4 percent to $1.6 billion compared with the
year-ago period. Intellectual property and custom development income increased
to $274 million compared with $205 million a year ago. Other (income) and
expense contributed income of $125 million in the first quarter of 2008 versus
income of $180 million in the first quarter of 2007, which primarily reflects
higher year-to-year hedging losses. Interest expense increased to $178 million
compared with $73 million in the prior-year period, primarily due to the
increase in debt to finance the company's accelerated share repurchase
agreements.

IBM's effective tax rate in the first-quarter 2008 was 27.5 percent compared
with 28.5 percent in the first quarter of 2007.

Shares repurchased in the first quarter were approximately $2.7 billion. The
weighted-average number of diluted common shares outstanding in the
first-quarter 2008 was 1.40 billion compared with 1.52 billion shares in the
same period of 2007. As of March 31, 2008, there were 1.37 billion basic common
shares outstanding.

Debt, including Global Financing, totaled $35.2 billion, compared with $35.3
billion at year-end 2007. From a management segment view, Global Financing debt
increased $1.7 billion from year-end 2007 to a total of $26.2 billion at the end
of March 31, 2008, resulting in a debt-to-equity ratio of 6.9 to 1. Non-global
financing debt, which reflects financial leverage associated with accelerated
share repurchase agreements, totaled $8.9 billion, a decrease of $1.8 billion
since year-end 2007, resulting in a debt-to-capitalization ratio of 26.4 percent
from 30.0 percent. The cash balance was $12.0 billion at the end of the first
quarter.

Forward-Looking and Cautionary Statements

Except for the historical information and discussions contained herein,
statements contained in this release may constitute forward-looking statements
within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995.
These statements involve a number of risks, uncertainties and other factors that
could cause actual results to differ materially, including the company's failure
to continue to develop and market new and innovative products and services and
to keep pace with technological change; competitive pressures; failure to obtain
or protect intellectual property rights; breaches of the company's data security
measures; changes in the economic environment and corporate IT spending budgets;
fluctuations in revenues and purchases, and volatility of stock prices; the
company's ability to attract and retain key personnel and its reliance on
critical skills; adverse affects from tax matters; environmental matters;
currency fluctuations and customer financing risks; customer credit risk on
receivables; risks from investing in growth opportunities; the company's failure
to maintain the adequacy of its internal controls; the company's use of certain
estimates and assumptions; dependence on certain suppliers; changes in the
financial or business condition of the company's distributors or resellers; the
company's ability to successfully manage acquisitions and alliances; failure to
have sufficient insurance; legal, political, health and economic conditions;
risk factors related to IBM securities; and other risks, uncertainties and
factors discussed in the company's Form 10-Q, Form 10-K and in the company's
other filings with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) or in
materials incorporated therein by reference. The company assumes no obligation
to update or revise any forward-looking statements.

Presentation of Information in this Press Release

In an effort to provide investors with additional information regarding the
company's results as determined by generally accepted accounting principles
(GAAP), the company has also disclosed in this press release the following
non-GAAP information which management believes provides useful information to
investors:

IBM Results -

    --  adjusting for revenues from the Printing System Division divestiture;

    --  adjusting for currency (i.e., at constant currency).

The rationale for management's use of non-GAAP measures is included as part of
the supplementary materials presented within the first-quarter earnings
materials. These materials are available on the IBM investor relations Web site
at www.ibm.com/investor and are being included in Attachment II ('Non-GAAP
Supplementary Materials') to the Form 8-K that includes this press release and
is being submitted today to the SEC.

Conference Call and Webcast

IBM's regular quarterly earnings conference call is scheduled to begin at 4:30
p.m. EDT, today. Investors may participate by viewing the Webcast at
www.ibm.com/investor/1q08. Presentation charts will be available on the Web site
prior to the Webcast.

Broadcast-quality clips of IBM Senior Vice President Frank Kern discussing IBM's
business are available at www.thenewsmarket.com/ibm.

Financial Results Below (certain amounts may not add due to use of rounded
numbers; percentages presented are calculated from the underlying whole-dollar
amounts).

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             INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS MACHINES CORPORATION
                    COMPARATIVE FINANCIAL RESULTS
      (Unaudited; Dollars in millions except per share amounts)


                                         Three Months Ended March 31,
                                                               Percent
                                                2008      2007 Change
                                         ----------- --------- -------
REVENUE

 Global Technology Services                $  9,677  $  8,258    17.2%
  Gross profit margin                          31.3%     29.2%

 Global Business Services                     4,911     4,183    17.4%
  Gross profit margin                          25.0%     23.8%

 Systems and Technology                       4,219     4,520    -6.7%
  Gross profit margin                          37.0%     34.8%

 Software                                     4,847     4,251    14.0%
  Gross profit margin                          83.9%     83.6%

 Global Financing                               633       614     3.0%
  Gross profit margin                          50.8%     50.9%

 Other                                          216       203     6.2%
  Gross profit margin                         -19.9%     12.0%

TOTAL REVENUE                                24,502    22,029    11.2%


GROSS PROFIT                                 10,166     8,866    14.7%
  Gross profit margin                          41.5%     40.2%


EXPENSE AND OTHER INCOME
 S,G&A                                        5,620     5,089    10.4%
  Expense to revenue                           22.9%     23.1%

 R,D&E                                        1,569     1,509     4.0%
  Expense to revenue                            6.4%      6.9%

 Intellectual property
  and custom development
  income                                       (274)     (205)   33.6%
 Other (income) and expense                    (125)     (180)  -30.4%
 Interest expense                               178        73   143.7%

TOTAL EXPENSE AND
OTHER INCOME                                  6,968     6,287    10.8%
  Expense to revenue                           28.4%     28.5%

INCOME FROM CONTINUING
OPERATIONS BEFORE
INCOME TAXES                                  3,198     2,579    24.0%
  Pre-tax margin                               13.1%     11.7%

Provision for
income taxes                                    879       735    19.6%
  Effective tax rate                           27.5%     28.5%

INCOME FROM CONTINUING
OPERATIONS                                    2,319     1,844    25.7%
  Net margin                                    9.5%      8.4%

DISCONTINUED OPERATIONS
Income from discontinued
operations                                      ---         0

NET INCOME                                 $  2,319  $  1,844    25.7%
                                         ----------  --------

EARNINGS/(LOSS)PER SHARE
OF COMMON STOCK:

 ASSUMING DILUTION
  CONTINUING
   OPERATIONS                              $   1.65  $   1.21    36.4%
  DISCONTINUED
   OPERATIONS                                   ---      0.00
                                         ----------  --------
  TOTAL                                    $   1.65  $   1.21    36.4%
                                         ==========  ========
 BASIC
  CONTINUING
   OPERATIONS                              $   1.68  $   1.23    36.6%
  DISCONTINUED
   OPERATIONS                                   ---      0.00
                                         ----------  --------
  TOTAL                                    $   1.68  $   1.23    36.6%
                                         ==========  ========
WEIGHTED-AVERAGE NUMBER
OF COMMON SHARES
OUTSTANDING (M's)
  ASSUMING DILUTION                         1,404.3   1,522.8
  BASIC                                     1,383.0   1,499.5
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             INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS MACHINES CORPORATION
             CONSOLIDATED STATEMENT OF FINANCIAL POSITION
                             (Unaudited)

                                               At           At
(Dollars in millions)                   March 31, December 31, Percent
                                             2008         2007  Change
                                      ----------- ------------ -------
ASSETS

 Cash, cash equivalents,
 and marketable securities              $  12,027     $ 16,146  -25.5%

 Receivables - net, inventories,
 prepaid expenses                          36,398       37,031   -1.7%

 Plant, rental machines,
 and other property - net                  15,470       15,081    2.6%

 Investments and other assets              57,928       52,172   11.0%
                                      ----------- ------------

TOTAL ASSETS                            $ 121,823     $120,431    1.2%
                                      =========== ============


LIABILITIES AND STOCKHOLDERS' EQUITY


 Short-term debt                        $  15,235     $ 12,235   24.5%
 Long-term debt                            19,951       23,039  -13.4%
                                      ----------- ------------
 Total debt                                35,186       35,274   -0.3%

 Accounts payable, taxes,
 and accruals                              31,813       32,076   -0.8%

 Other liabilities                         26,096       24,612    6.0%
                                      ----------- ------------
TOTAL LIABILITIES                          93,095       91,962    1.2%

STOCKHOLDERS' EQUITY                       28,728       28,470    0.9%
                                      ----------- ------------
TOTAL LIABILITIES AND
STOCKHOLDERS' EQUITY                    $ 121,823     $120,431    1.2%
                                      =========== ============
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             INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS MACHINES CORPORATION
                             SEGMENT DATA
                             (Unaudited)

                                     FIRST-QUARTER 2008

                                                  Continuing
                                                     Pre-tax
                                                      Income
                                                      (Loss)
                                                        From
(Dollars in millions)            Revenue          Continuing   Pre-tax
                      ---------          --------
                       External Internal    Total Operations    Margin
                      --------- -------- -------- ----------   -------
SEGMENTS

Global Technology
 Services                $9,677     $388  $10,065       $988      9.8%
  Y-T-Y Change            17.2%    -8.7%    15.9%      45.1%

Global Business
 Services                 4,911      258    5,169        579     11.2%
  Y-T-Y Change            17.4%   -14.5%    15.3%      23.4%

Systems and Technology    4,219      195    4,414        145      3.3%
  Y-T-Y Change            -6.7%   -27.1%    -7.8%      50.7%

Software                  4,847      667    5,514      1,267     23.0%
  Y-T-Y Change            14.0%    14.1%    14.0%      22.3%

Global Financing            633      386    1,019        388     38.1%
  Y-T-Y Change             3.0%    10.7%     5.8%       3.9%

TOTAL REPORTABLE
 SEGMENTS                24,286    1,894   26,180      3,368     12.9%
  Y-T-Y Change            11.3%    -1.7%    10.2%      26.8%

Eliminations / Other        216  (1,894)  (1,679)      (170)

TOTAL IBM CONSOLIDATED  $24,502       $0  $24,502     $3,198     13.1%
  Y-T-Y Change            11.2%             11.2%      24.0%


                                     FIRST-QUARTER 2007

                                                     Pre-tax
                                                      Income
                                                      (Loss)
                                                        From
(Dollars in millions) --------- Revenue  -------- Continuing   Pre-tax
                       External Internal    Total Operations    Margin
                      --------- -------- -------- ----------   -------

SEGMENTS

Global Technology
 Services                $8,258     $425   $8,683       $681      7.8%

Global Business
 Services                 4,183      301    4,485        470     10.5%

Systems and Technology    4,520      267    4,787         96      2.0%

Software                  4,251      585    4,836      1,036     21.4%

Global Financing            614      349      963        374     38.8%

TOTAL REPORTABLE
 SEGMENTS                21,826    1,927   23,753      2,657     11.2%

Eliminations / Other        203  (1,927)  (1,724)       (78)

TOTAL IBM CONSOLIDATED  $22,029       $0  $22,029     $2,579     11.7%
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IBM
Edward Barbini, 914/499-6565
[e-mail]
or
John Bukovinsky, 732-618-3531
[e-mail]
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