NEW YORK- Microsoft is pulling out of the International Consumer Electronics Show(CES), the
largest trade show in the Americas. It's joining Apple in saying that it prefers to put on its own events
when the time is right to show off its products.
     Microsoft said the next show, to be held Jan.9, 2012 in Las Vegas, will be the last show at which it
has a booth or the CEO delivers the customary kick-off speech.
     Company founder Bill Gates delivered keynote speeches at the show for 11 straight years. Current
CEO Steve Ballmer has delivered the speech for the past three shows and will present his last next
month.
      The software company has been one of the biggest U.S. supporters of the annual 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, Ballmer is scheduled to speak about the Windows 8 operating system. But the
software isn't expected to be ready until late 2012, 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 & Expo
after 2009.
     The Consumer Electronics Association, which organizes CES, said it has tremendous demand for
invitations to hold keynote speeches, and it has already received feelers from companies that want to rent
for the 2013 show the space where Microsoft usually has its booth.