News : Bill Gates CES Keynote 2007

Bill Gates' keynote at CES was webcast live by Microsoft. This keynote was entitled 'Connected Experiences' and a relaxed-looking Bill Gates kicked things off by cracking a joke about how, at future CES appearances, he might talk about infectious diseases (referring to his increasing involvement in philanthropy work).
The Digital Decade

He starts off by discussing "the digital decade", noting in particular digital photography and the Internet. He says 65% of homes have digital cameras, there's more broadband penetration now, and 40% of homes have multiple computers. As far as Microsoft devices go, he says there will be more high definition and use of advanced graphics in games and virtual reality - "presentation richness" he calls it. He also talks about the terabytes and petabytes of storage being made available now.

Although he says "we have amazing hardware" (referring to hardware in general, not necessarily Microsoft's), he thinks there are some key things missing - especially "connections". He gives the usual Microsoft refrain about multiple devices connecting people together, via the Internet. Interestingly he also notes that it's not just a consumer experience - but spans into the business environment too.
Foundational Products

He then talks about the "foundational products" that Microsoft has coming into the market. Firstly he notes Vista, "the highest quality release [of Windows] we've ever done". He says Vista and the PC "continue to have a central role, all these devices have to work together."

He also notes the importance of Office 07 - saying that Office and Windows Vista will work closely together. With Office 07, there is a new UI (with improved richness) and it will connect up to Office Live services.
Vista Media Center

Vista Media Center is an interesting product. The demo showed on stage focused on live HD TV and rich on demand media services. They showed off Sports Lounge, a partnership with Fox Sports. It gives users real-time sports scores, real-time alerts, and ability to track fantasy teams. There was also talk about new content partnerships in Media Center, which is another familiar Microsoft strategy (partner with as many major content/service providers as possible).
Windows Ecosystem

Bill then discusses the ecosystem of windows. Services are key for connecting up software and hardware to online. He says s/w developers are doing all kinds of apps for vista - sidebar, using search APIs, visualizations (WPF and more), etc. The general theme here is the "enablement of hardware and software partners".
Connected Entertainment

Robbie Bach bounds onto the stage to talk about connected entertainment. Content and community are the two key concepts here. He starts off with music - noting the MTV Urge partnership launched at last year's CES, and also the launch in 2006 of Zune. He says Zune is already the 2nd most popular music device in their segment.

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