Technology, Steve Ballmer | featured news

Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer can't afford to be wrong about Windows 8. On Thursday in New York, Microsoft unveiled a dramatic overhaul of its ubiquitous Windows operating system. It will go on sale Friday, fused into more than 1,000 PCs and other devices. If it flops, the failure will reinforce perceptions that Microsoft is falling behind competitors such as Apple, Google and Amazon as its stranglehold on personal computers becomes less relevant in an era of smartphones, tablets and other mobile devices.

The 2010 Consumer Electronics Show features alot less gloom than last year. At last year's Consumer Electronics Show, even Microsoft essentially admitted to a droopy feeling, as chief executive Steve Ballmer acknowledged a sense of "reduced expectations" in his industry.

Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer’s enthusiastic keynote address at the Consumer Electronics Show was hampered Wednesday night by a power failure and a lineup of announcements that did little to generate buzz for the company.