Microsoft says 2012 CES tech show will be its last

Microsoft said the next show, to be held Jan. 9-12 in Las Vegas, will be the last show at which it has a booth or the CEO delivers the customary kick-off speech.

The software company has been one of the biggest U.S. supporters of the event, which gathered nearly 150,000 people this year. Originally focused on living-room electronics, the show has become the big annual U.S. event for all consumer technology after the demise of big computer-focused shows such as Comdex.

Microsoft says it will continue to use CES as a place to connect to customers, but it won't have a booth because its product milestones don't align with the show's January timing.

At the upcoming show, CEO Steve Ballmer is scheduled to speak about its upcoming Windows 8 operating system. But the software isn't expected to be ready until late next year, so computer makers won't have any real Windows 8 products at the show.

"They're not cooked yet. So he's going to be stuck trying to present a bunch of stuff that will be months away from being ready," said technology industry analyst Rob Enderle

Apple doesn't participate in trade shows at all after pulling out of the Macworld Conference after 2009.

The Consumer Electronics Association, which organizes CES, did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

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