@Jay Greene didn't strike me as that kind of an exec.
Roger Cheng10/25/2012 3:07:41 PM
Microsoft still knows how to pack a room. The seats are filling up quickly.
Jay Greene10/25/2012 3:08:02 PM
@Paolo Sanchez Sinofsky is a polarizing figure. He ships product, which is a huge deal at Microsoft. But he doesn't always make friends in the process.
sarahtew10/25/2012 3:08:20 PM
sarahtew10/25/2012 3:08:31 PM
sarahtew10/25/2012 3:08:38 PM
sarahtew10/25/2012 3:08:43 PM
sarahtew10/25/2012 3:08:48 PM
sarahtew10/25/2012 3:08:58 PM
seth.rosenblatt10/25/2012 3:09:35 PM
Check out those pics from Sarah. The plethora of Windows 8 devices indicates both a renewed interest in innovation from manufacturers and a serious uncertainty about what's going to work for consumers.
Roger Cheng10/25/2012 3:09:51 PM
There's some bland house music playing in the background. Not offensive at all. I guess the ideal music to play for this kind of event.
john.falcone10/25/2012 3:10:53 PM
REMINDER: refresh the page for the live video stream. But note that it requires Silverlight (not Flash).
sarahtew10/25/2012 3:15:10 PM
seth.rosenblatt10/25/2012 3:16:05 PM
Thank you, Sarah, for reminding me not to slouch...
john.falcone10/25/2012 3:16:58 PM
REMINDER: refresh the page for the live video stream. Embed requires Silverlight, Flash link also available.
sarahtew10/25/2012 3:17:08 PM
Adam Bliss10/25/2012 3:17:15 PM
I'm a little disappointed with the lack of live CNET peeps. Doesn't have to be Molly and Tong, but at least cover the event the same as Apple's.
Jay Greene10/25/2012 3:17:31 PM
There's wonky Internet connection in the room. Each of us is flitting in and out. Hoping it's a bit more smooth during the presentation.
seth.rosenblatt10/25/2012 3:18:21 PM
Showtime!
john.falcone10/25/2012 3:18:23 PM
@Adam -- Our NY team is there in force; a bit too early for the SF team.
Roger Cheng10/25/2012 3:18:30 PM
And the screen goes dark. Cue the slick promo video.
Roger Cheng10/25/2012 3:18:54 PM
Ok, the music has stopped. This thing should kick off soon.
Jay Greene10/25/2012 3:19:07 PM
Video showing Sinofsky in Shanghai, where he was earlier this week launching Windows 8 there.
Jay Greene10/25/2012 3:19:21 PM
Some more Windows launch history. Windows XP debuted in New York as well, just a few weeks after the attacks on Sept. 11, 2001. There was some discussion about moving the event elsewhere. But then-New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani prevailed upon Bill Gates to keep the event in New York to help show the world that the city was bowed but not broken.
Roger Cheng10/25/2012 3:19:33 PM
The video highlights various Windows 8 events all around the world with some thumping background music. I guess we're supposed to get pumped.
Roger Cheng10/25/2012 3:19:45 PM
Okay, video is over, and Steven Sinofsky is on stage now.
Jay Greene10/25/2012 3:20:04 PM
Microsoft is highlighting how widely used Windows is worldwide. More than 1 billion machines runs some version of the Windows operating system.
Roger Cheng10/25/2012 3:20:08 PM
Sinofsky: We are here to celebrate global availability of a new era of Windows PCs.
Roger Cheng10/25/2012 3:20:21 PM
Sinofsky welcomes the various PC and chip partners.
Roger Cheng10/25/2012 3:20:34 PM
Here we go.
Roger Cheng10/25/2012 3:20:34 PM
Windows 8 is a major milestone in the evolution and revolution of computing, he says.
Roger Cheng10/25/2012 3:21:01 PM
Having surpassed 1 billion users, we are looking forward to the next billion, he says.
Roger Cheng10/25/2012 3:21:07 PM
Now on Windows 7 - it's the most widely used and widely praised OS ever, Sinofsky says.
Jay Greene10/25/2012 3:21:14 PM
Sinofsky is the guy who took over Windows with the Windows 7 launch. He cleaned up the mess that was Windows Vista.
Roger Cheng10/25/2012 3:21:16 PM
Windows 7 has sold 670M licenses to businesses and consumers, he says.
Roger Cheng10/25/2012 3:21:23 PM
That gets a lot of applause.
Roger Cheng10/25/2012 3:21:35 PM
Windows 7 has seen the fastest adoption by businesses ever, Sinofsky says.
Roger Cheng10/25/2012 3:22:21 PM
Sinofsky talks about cloud services and SkyDrive. Today, it has 11 million photos.
seth.rosenblatt10/25/2012 3:22:30 PM
14 petabytes of data in SkyDrive, people add 2 PB every month
Jay Greene10/25/2012 3:22:48 PM
Sinofsky is building the foundation for the Windows 8 launch. But really, it's a lot of Windows 7 talk.
Roger Cheng10/25/2012 3:22:53 PM
Compares it to Windows 95, which was the basis for Windows 7 with things like the Start Menu.
Roger Cheng10/25/2012 3:23:18 PM
No Internet, no email, no smartphones, Sinofsky says, it's like "we were living in caves," he said to laughs.
sarahtew10/25/2012 3:23:40 PM
Roger Cheng10/25/2012 3:23:43 PM
Windows 8 is different, he says. We're connected all the time. People are at the center. Work and play are intertwined.
Roger Cheng10/25/2012 3:23:59 PM
PCs have been replaced by mobile devices at a fraction of the price, he notes.
Paolo Sanchez 10/25/2012 3:07:19 PM@Jay Greene didn't strike me as that kind of an exec.
Roger Cheng 10/25/2012 3:07:41 PMMicrosoft still knows how to pack a room. The seats are filling up quickly.
Jay Greene 10/25/2012 3:08:02 PM@Paolo Sanchez Sinofsky is a polarizing figure. He ships product, which is a huge deal at Microsoft. But he doesn't always make friends in the process.
sarahtew 10/25/2012 3:08:20 PM
seth.rosenblatt 10/25/2012 3:09:35 PMCheck out those pics from Sarah. The plethora of Windows 8 devices indicates both a renewed interest in innovation from manufacturers and a serious uncertainty about what's going to work for consumers.
john.falcone 10/25/2012 3:10:53 PMREMINDER: refresh the page for the live video stream. But note that it requires Silverlight (not Flash).
