DEC Reports Smaller Loss Than Expected : Earnings: Apple Computer posts a slightly lower quarterly profit, while Microsoft gains.

Digital Equipment Corp., which has been losing money for more than a year, showed signs that it may be climbing back toward the black as it reported a smaller than expected quarterly loss.

At the same time, Apple Computer reported a 2.8% decline in quarterly profit, while Microsoft posted a sharp increase on record sales of its Windows software and more efficient operations.

- Digital Equipment Corp. posted a loss of $73 million for its fiscal second quarter. The loss for the quarter that ended Dec. 26 amounted to 57 cents per share, compared to a loss of $155.2 million, or $1.25 per share, during the same period last year. Revenue rose 6% during the three-month period to $3.6 billion.

Analysts found the results encouraging, noting that revenue was also better than expected. The computer company’s stock price shot up $7.375 to close at $41.75 in active trading Thursday on the New York Stock Exchange.

To help end the losses, Digital has been cutting its work force sharply. During the most recent quarter, the company eliminated nearly 6,500 jobs, reducing its worldwide payroll to 102,100.

Also, Digital has reorganized its corporate structure and revamped its product line, introducing new computers based on a speedy chip called Alpha.

- Apple Computer Inc. reported fiscal first-quarter earnings of $161.3 million, or $1.33 per share, on record revenue of $2 billion. That compared to earnings of $166 million, or $1.36 a share, on revenue of $1.86 billion for the same period in 1991.

Chairman and Chief Executive John Sculley said new product releases and price cutting on existing products led to the drop in earnings.

The earnings report was issued after the stock market closed Thursday. Apple’s stock rose $1.50 in NASDAQ trading, closing at $65.

Apple is the world’s second-largest personal computer company, with an estimated 11.9% of 1992 worldwide sales.

- Microsoft Corp. reported quarterly profit jumped 35%. The software manufacturer reported a second-quarter profit of $236 million, up from $175 million in the same period a year ago. Earnings per share rose to 78 cents from 60 cents.

Revenue for the three months ended Dec. 31 reached $938 million, up 38%.

Redmond, Wash.-based Microsoft is the world’s largest producer of software for personal computers.

Microsoft stock was unchanged at $91.25 in NASDAQ trading.