CES: Microsoft ends its run at CES quietly

LAS VEGAS: Those of you who were hoping that Microsoft would leave CES with one last spectacular fizzle are in for bad news.

Steve Ballmer's 2012 keynote has come and gone without any power outages, system crashes or video delays. Despite an over-capacity crowd at CES, Microsoft was able to showcase its latest and greatest products with very little in the way of negative attention.

The final Microsoft keynote for the forseeable future highlighted many of the company's flagship brands, including the growing Windows Phone platform, XBox and its Kinnect platform, and the upcoming Windows 8 OS for both desktop and tablet systems.

Ballmer, aided by co-host Ryan Seacrest, was his usual dynamic self to the very end. When asked what was next, he emphatically declared "Metro, Metro Metro!" in reference to the highly-touted Windows 8 interface.

"Together, all of us in this industry, in thousands of new ways, will use the software and services and devices to invent incredible things," he said.

"Metro will drive the new magic across all user experiences."

And with that, Microsoft ends its days of headlining CES. Those of you feeling nostalgic about the whole thing will always have the memories of the company's historic keynote fails to keep you company.

10 Jan 2012