Microsoft is preparing for its last CES keynote

In 2012, the Redmond company will hold its last high-volume keynote, despite the high-volume CES, times are changing.

Frank X. Shaw, vice president of communications for Microsoft, said we can’t expect more keynots at CES, the world’s largest technology show. Of course, the Steve Ballmers won’t retire from the event, it’s just not going to be the number one venue to unveil their new products, their year-round plans. This was explained by the fact that times are changing, development has accelerated, more keynotes are needed per year, and the January date is especially bad for marketing - after Christmas, who cares about newer, more expensive gadgets besides empty wallets. It was highlighted because CES is a great place to keep in touch with partners and users. We are not even surprised by this, as we have to keep up with Apple, who already stepped in this in 2008, got out of the Macworld show and the announcements there. Seeing their example, approx. quarterly, we will be able to count on keynotes on various topics where we will be impressed with either their hardware or software innovations. 

By the way, we can’t expect such a fuss this year either, Ballmer will be talking about Windows Phone and XBOX - and the entertainment industry around them - so probably Kinect will get a lot more emphasis.