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CES Keynote: Microsoft’s Momentum Moves into 2012

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The International Consumer Electronics Show (CES), otherwise known as the world’s largest consumer technology tradeshow, has officially kicked off in Las Vegas!

Last night, CEO Steve Ballmer took to the CES stage for Microsoft’s final keynote presentation. And you may have noticed Microsoft did things a little differently this year – involving a surprise host, Ryan Seacrest, a musical interlude and product demonstrations.

Seacrest interviewed Ballmer, who announced continued momentum for Microsoft consumer products and demonstrations of Xbox 360 with Kinect and Windows Phone. The conversation highlighted the past year’s accomplishments and alluded to what’s ahead in 2012. Some of the past year’s milestones included:

  • Xbox 360 finished first in console sales with more than 66 million consoles sold worldwide. Xbox LIVE is the biggest social entertainment network in the living room with nearly 40 million Xbox LIVE members.
  • Over the last year, Kinect has exceeded everyone’s expectations with more than 18 million sensors sold.
  • Windows Phone has more than 50,000 published apps and games in Marketplace – with an average of 300 more added each day.
  • Windows 7 remains the fastest-selling operating system in history, with more than 500 million Windows 7 licenses sold, which is an average of seven licenses sold every second.
  • Bing has more than doubled market share since its launch, and with our partnership with Yahoo, Bing powers nearly 30 percent of the U.S. searches.
  • Office 2010 is the fastest-selling version of Office in the company’s history. We launched Office 365 last year, and it is already being used by more than 80 million people worldwide.
  • Microsoft acquired Skype last year and is focused on making it even better for the 200 million people who use Skype voice and video minutes annually.
  • Ford has shipped more than 4 million vehicles equipped with Ford Sync powered by Microsoft, and forecasts 9 million more vehicles on the road across the globe in the next three years.

Additionally, several new devices took center stage at CES, as Microsoft OEM partners revealed hot new products that showed off the latest hardware constructed for Windows. New devices included entries from Acer, as they unveiled the world’s thinnest ultramobile PC with the Asprie S5, measuring only 15 mm at the maximal point. To see other major breakthroughs from ASUS, Samsung and Sony involving Windows phones and Windows 7-based PCs, take a look here.

See highlights from Microsoft’s 2012 keynote here and stayed updated with the latest CES news located at the CES News Room.