Ballmer returns despite death of tablet, Kin

The Consumer Electronics Association today raised questions today by stating that Microsoft chief Steve Ballmer would once again keynote CES for 2011. His presentation on January 5 will continue a tradition of having Microsoft CEOs open the electronics trade show but will come after some of the promises of his 2010 keynote failed to arrive, especially the HP Windows 7 slate. Ballmer had held the tablet up as a preemptive strike against what became the Apple iPad, but it now may never see a release.

HP had touted the slate for the first few months of the year, going so far as to lord its Flash support over Apple, but grew more and more silent as it became less clear that the device would ever ship. The company abruptly changed tack following its acquisition of Palm and suddenly switched most of its attention to the prospect of webOS tablets, going so far as to downplay a desktop OS for tablets. Some have claimed the Windows tablet may have been killed outright, though others could have it shipping in October, 10 months after the keynote and half a year after the iPad.

Windows 7 and the Xbox 360 were both highlights of the keynote and enjoyed success, but they were also balanced by Microsoft's short-lived attention to Windows Mobile. It touted the HTC HD2 as its Windows Mobile flagship only to effectively obsolete the device a month later when it revealed Windows Phone 7, which the HD2 can never use.

The company will also likely go without mentioning the Kin, which it killed within six weeks despite heralding it as part of the Windows Phone brand.

By Electronista Staff