There's an outside chance that Microsoft might talk Xbox 720 at CES 2012, but that too won't be launching any time soon. The 2011 keynote was dominated by a mix of products already on the market—Kinect, Windows Phone—and the Windows-on-ARM processor announcement. In retaliation, Microsoft pulled its future booth plans. CEA tried to get Microsoft to sign on for another three years of keynoting after 2011, but Microsoft refused, signing on for only a single additional year (2012)—showing that the company's plans to leave the event are long-standing. CEA did want more money for future keynotes, which helped push Microsoft away, but ultimately the decision to leave was Microsoft's.
Microsoft will still be at future CES events in some capacity to connect to partners, press, and the general public. But big reveals and launches of major products will in the future be made at Microsoft-organized, Microsoft-specific events. Events that happen when Redmond says they should happen, and that make Microsoft products the star of the show. Microsoft has said that Steve Ballmer’s opening keynote for the Consumer Electronic Show (CES) in January will be the last time a Redmond head takes the stage, and it won’t be having an exhibition stand at the show after 2012 either.
We have decided that this coming January will be our last keynote presentation and booth at CES. Bill Gates first took to the CES stage in 1994 to show off the forthcoming Windows 95, and quickly made the keynote his own, for both good and bad reasons. Microsoft is ending its years-long run as the Consumer Electronics Show keynote kick-off event. Microsoft made the surprise announcement Wednesday in a brief blog post by Corporate Vice President for Corporate Communications Frank X. Shaw: “We have decided that this coming January will be our last keynote presentation and booth at CES.
After participating in the event for almost 20 years, Microsoft will still have some sort of presence at the show. Mashable contacted the Consumer Electronics Associations (the group that runs CES) for comment and received this statement: In the fourteen years that we have invited Microsoft to deliver a keynote address at CES, the company has unveiled some great innovations, from operating systems to gaming platforms to mobile technologies, Both CEA and Microsoft have agreed that the time has come to end this great run, and so Microsoft will not have a keynote at the 2013 CES.
The International CES is widely recognized as the world’s best stage for technology debuts, and each year we experience incredible demand from the world’s leading technology companies for invitations to keynote at CES. Exhibitors will choose space for the 2013 CES during the 2012 show, and in past years available Central Hall exhibit space has sold out within hours. We also look forward to their CES keynote on January 9, 2012.
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