Microsoft CEO at CES Says Tally of Windows RT Apps Surge
Microsoft Corp. (MSFT) Chief Executive Officer Steve Ballmer, in a surprise appearance at a technology trade show in Las Vegas, said the number of applications for new Windows tablets has increased fivefold since late October.
There are four times more applications for Windows RT computers now than there were when the device was introduced in late October, Ballmer said yesterday at the International Consumer Electronics Show. He said that more apps -- including Twitter Inc., Dropbox Inc. and Time Warner Inc. (TWX)’s CNN -- are coming.
Ballmer is striving to drum up interest in the latest flavor of Microsoft’s flagship operating system while he plays catch-up to Apple Inc. in the $63.2 billion market for tablets. Early demand for some Windows tablets has appeared “disappointing,” according to analysts at FBR Capital Markets.
The availability of a broad range of apps is crucial for luring customers to mobile devices such as tablets. In December alone, the number of new apps reached 10,000, Ballmer said. Among them: Expedia Inc., Fitbit Inc. and AOL Inc.’s Huffington Post.
Microsoft said in late 2011 that Ballmer’s address at the 2012 CES would be the company’s last keynote. He appeared yesterday during a presentation by Qualcomm Inc. (QCOM) CEO Paul Jacobs.
Microsoft sold five times more Windows Phone devices during the week of Christmas than the same period a year earlier, Ballmer said. He didn’t give specific numbers.
To contact the reporter on this story: Ian King in San Francisco at ianking@bloomberg.net
To contact the editor responsible for this story: Tom Giles at tgiles5@bloomberg.net
Jan. 8 (Bloomberg) -- Microsoft Corp. Chief Executive Steve Ballmer talks about the increase of applications for new Windows tablets. Ballmer spoke yesterday at the International Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas. Qualcomm Chief Executive Officer Paul Jacobs also speaks. (Source: Bloomberg)
Jan. 8 (Bloomberg) -- Barry Ritholtz, chief executive officer of FusionIQ and author of the "Big Picture" blog, talks about potential successors to U.S. Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner, the outlook for Microsoft Inc., and his investment strategy. He speaks with Tom Keene, Scarlet Fu and Sara Eisen on Bloomberg Television's "Surveillance." (Source: Bloomberg)
Jan. 8 (Bloomberg) -- Greg Harper, president and founder of Harpervision Associates Inc., talks about the International Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas and outlook for the electronics industry this year. He speaks with Betty Liu on Bloomberg Television's "In The Loop." (Source: Bloomberg)
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