Microsoft walking off CES stage

Microsoft on December 21 said that it will step out of the spotlight at the annual Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas, connecting with industry players in the wings and shunning the stage. The CES gadget extravaganza in January will be the last time the Redmond, Washington-based software colossus stakes out space on the show floor and has its chief present a keynote speech, according to Microsoft.
"We won't have a keynote or booth after this year because our product news milestones generally don't align with the show's January timing," Microsoft vice president of corporate communications Frank Shaw said in a blog post.
"We'll continue to participate in CES as a great place to connect with partners and customers across the PC (personal computer), phone and entertainment industries," he added.
Microsoft's longstanding role on the CES stage was giving way to getting messages out at new platforms such as Facebook, Twitter, and the company's own retail shops, according to Shaw.