The Consumer Electronics Show, which will kick off once again early next year in Las Vegas, Nevada, is the biggest showcase of upcoming TV’s, home theaters and other pieces of home and travel technology. And each year, a number of companies take part and attract thousands of attendees. However, the upcoming 2012 show will mark a significant change for one company in particular — Microsoft.
The vice president of communications for Microsoft, Frank Shaw, has announced that CES 2012 will mark the final appearance, for the time being, for the company behind Windows 7, Windows Phone and the Xbox 360 console. That means no more press conferences, nor any kind of booth on the floor.
When asked why, Shaw explained in a blog post, “Our product news milestones generally don’t align with the show’s January timing.” “Are we doing something because it’s the right thing to do, or because ‘it’s the way we’ve always done it’?”
It’s true, the gaming season (for Microsoft anyway) usually kicks off with the likes of events such as Game Developers Conference and, of course, the Electronic Entertainment Expo, easily considered the biggest video game show of the year. But CES is still quite relevant. You may recall a few years ago when Bill Gates, along with Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson, first introduced the Xbox to an awaiting public at a side event surrounding CES. Even last year’s Microsoft press conference was pretty good, with lots of talk about the Kinect and the Windows Phone.
But after 2012, the show may have some trouble keeping steady ground with the loss of Microsoft. Others like Sony and Samsung will try to step up, and it’s interesting to see that Nintendo is starting to show more of a presence, as it’s doing this coming year with the Wii U, but this is still a blow that’s going to be hard to recover from.
It isn’t a matter of competition, as the other expo that usually takes place around the same time, the Adult Entertainment Expo, has changed dates to avoid competing with attendees. It’s pretty much a matter of presenting the best technology possible. And say what you want, but Microsoft plays a big part in that.
Let’s see just what they have to show off come January 10th, shall we?
