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Julie Jacobson / AP
Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer gives his keynote speech Wednesday at the Consumer Electronics Show.
Thursday, Jan. 6, 2011 | 2:05 a.m.
Tablets and 3-D TVs at CES
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KSNV's Hetty Chang discusses tablets and 3-D TVs at the 2011 CES.
2011 International CES
Beyond the Sun
What was most notable about Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer’s keynote address Wednesday night was not what he announced, but what he didn’t.
Ballmer quietly kicked off the 2011 Consumer Electronics Show with a handful of small announcements, but they weren’t the major product releases tech bloggers and writers have been teasing for weeks.
There was no talk of Microsoft’s plans to compete with Apple or Google TV, no Windows 8 release and, most notable, no announcement on the company’s plan to enter the tablet market.
Instead, the bulk of Ballmer’s talk focused on recapping the company’s success over the last year.
“2010 was a very, very exciting year for our customers. We launched the Windows 7 phone, Office 2010 and Kinect,” Ballmer said. “With the amazing success of Windows 7, it’s truly been a year like no other.”
In November, Microsoft released Kinect for Xbox 360, its controller-free gaming experience. Initially anticipated to sell 5 million units during the 2010 holiday season, Ballmer said, the company sold 8 million sensors worldwide in the first 60 days.
Consumer Electronics Association analysts noted Tuesday that Kinect is one of the fastest-selling consumer electronic products in history.
Kinect not only allows users to play controller-free but scroll through TV and movies with just the motion of their hands through the Zune marketplace on Xbox Live.
And Xbox 360 users are about to have more controller-free entertainment options.
Microsoft announced Wednesday that Netflix and the Hulu Plus subscribers service will be coming to Kinect this spring, allowing users to stream video directly to their TVs with the ability to rewind or fast-forward with the wave of a hand.
While Kinect currently only monitors body motion, Ballmer announced the device will have the ability to recognize facial expressions starting this spring with Avatar Kinect.
The service will allow Xbox 360 users to talk, laugh and show emotion to other users through their avatars, taking interactivity with the Kinect device one step further. Ballmer said Avatar Kinect will be available for free for Xbox Connect Gold users this spring.
Such services and innovations have driven sales of the Xbox 360, Ballmer said. The gaming system — the original version launched nearly a decade ago — has sold more than 50 million units worldwide, Ballmer said.
Last year also brought the release of the Windows 7 phone for Microsoft. The phone now has more than 5,500 apps available and 100 become available to users each day, Ballmer said.
“When I get a chance to show people a Windows 7 phone, the feedback that I hear is very, very gratifying,” Ballmer said. “People tell me how snappy it is, how easy it is to use and how personal it is.”
The Windows 7 phone is currently only available through AT&T, but Ballmer said a version of the phone with Sprint and Verizon networks is coming in the first half of this year.
He also said users can expect software updates this spring that will add support for copy-and-paste and improve performance when switching applications.
Ballmer and Mike Angiulo, a Microsoft general manager, wrapped up by showing off a few new Windows 7 PCs, including a Samsung Slider PC 7 laptop that flips into a tablet and a dual-screen Acer laptop.
Ballmer noted seven new Windows 7 PCs sell every second, making the software package Microsoft’s fastest-selling product ever.
Lewis Black did a rant about our continuing dependence on oil for a large part of our energy needs. He says, "We've recognized oil as a problem since at least the '70's, but what have we spent our research capital on?"
At that point he pulls his cell phone/blackberry/whatever out of his pocket and rages, "WE DIDN'T DO A DAMN THING ABOUT OUR OIL DEPENDENCE FOR FORTY YEARS, INSTEAD WE PUT ALL OUR EFFORT INTO THIS!"
I love my computer and I love the internet, but my interest quickly drops off after that. Games and gadgetry may be good for producing corporate profits, but haven't we crossed the line of diminishing returns to society and culture? Does Microsoft really need to be expected to render last year's gadgetry obsolete year after year?
Steve Ballmer, he's got two major things going for him-----the second biggest block of stock and the backing of Bill Gates. The stock has gone nowhere over the last 5 years and the dividend is paltry. Last year (2010) Apple blew by Microsoft in market capitalization 296 billion vs. 239 billion. He's a marginally competent ceo, but Steve Jobs, he ain't.
Not a very exciting year for Microsoft stockholders. This CEO needs to go. If he sold caskets, no one would ever die again.
While the stock market has soared, microsoft goes no where. Disappointing to own Microsoft stock.
When comdex left town after 9-11 I stayed at Mandalay bay in a room paid for by a no show. I was a vendor hawking thin monitors back then . I have been working with computers since 1960. Not one new hardware item has been produced of any value since 2001. The last practical item for home computing was the digital camera. Microsoft has suffered many major failure since 1960.
The dual emulator for running mac software In the 60's. Their biggest setback was their version on the Internet that was supposed be included in windows 3.0. It never happened greed forced Microsoft to release the operating system without it to reach a deadline. They never did get in on the break thru of Internet. Microsoft money program was so bad banks wanted nothing to do with for online banking. So they tried buy quicken from intuit. The gov put a stop on that deal. Windows millenium sucked. Known as windows 2000. Windows vista was a dog as well. Very few like windows 7 that much either. The only reason it sells so well you cannot purchase a PC with anything else but windows 7. Xp operating system was preferred by many but Microsoft prohibited the sales when they produced vista and then window7. No talk about world monopoly everyone would not dare say such a thing existed. After 50 years I am now sending this message with my brand new I pad goodbye Microsoft. I just celebrated my 75th and still computing and enjoying it on my I pad
Windows Phone 7 are available on AT&T and T-Mobile.