Bill Gates to deliver CES 2008 keynote, possibly his last

It looks like Bill Gates is set to enthrall the masses at CES once more, as the Consumer Electronics Association announced today that he'd again be one of the featured keynote speakers, joining Panasonic's Toshihiro Sakamoto and Intel's Paul Otellini. Given Bill's upcoming retirement from day-to-day duties, it's also being speculated that this keynote could well be his last, making it an even ten following speeches in 1998 and a non-stop run from 2000 to 2007. What could he possibly have to announce on such a momentous occasion? We'll find out January 6th, 2008.

[Via TG Daily]

[vampmiller @ Jul 5th 2007 5:02PM]

Surely he'll rip off the mask to reveal he's a reptilian alien and has taken over the world.

[arthur barnhouse @ Jul 5th 2007 5:16PM]

Someone's been reading a bit too much David Icke.

[Alan Partridge @ Jul 5th 2007 5:02PM]

Maybe they've finally finished some Vista Ultimate Extras

[Todd @ Jul 5th 2007 5:05PM]

"What could he possibly have to announce on such a momentous occasion?"

ZunePhone ( available only in brown )
Vista Service Pack 1
XBOX 360 super-double-plus-elite-ultimate-edition ( standard 360 with new shiny sticker on front )

...just realized Ballmer will be doing the CES presentations from now on. Yikes.

[Andir3.0 @ Jul 5th 2007 5:36PM]

http://www.developersdevelopers.com/

Can't wait!

[Kangstarr @ Jul 5th 2007 5:06PM]

"What could he possibly have to announce on such a momentous occasion?"

"I'm riiiiiiiiiiich biaaattttch!!!" - Bill Gates

[lawrence @ Jul 5th 2007 5:07PM]

re:booyaka
gayasoft

[Tony @ Jul 5th 2007 5:08PM]

Bill who?

[Sy @ Jul 5th 2007 5:10PM]

Bill Gates will announce he will retire in China and stud the next generation of tech workers.

[Andir3.0 @ Jul 5th 2007 5:37PM]

China has enough problems as it is.

[tyler @ Jul 5th 2007 5:10PM]

I would give anything to see him release some sort of phone that trumps the iPhone. That's how I'd want to retire.

[Zeeliv @ Jul 5th 2007 5:45PM]

Yes, just like they trumped the iPod with the Zune!

[Unregistered @ Jul 5th 2007 10:46PM]

He's goona call it Fuune

[David @ Jul 5th 2007 5:12PM]

He will announce that he bought an iPhone and loves it!

[David @ Jul 5th 2007 5:15PM]

He will announce that Vista is just a big practical joke and then he will release an actual usable operating system.

[daedalus @ Jul 5th 2007 5:19PM]

What will he announce?

I'm gonna go with: nothing that will be an actual product for at least 5 years.

I dont remember what he talked about in 07, but i remember that his 06 keynote completely glossed over HD-DVD, Vista, basically everything that you can actually hold in you hand today, and focused mostly on the future of downloadable content and touchscreen everythings...

[roach @ Jul 5th 2007 5:23PM]

MS Gay? Me think not! Apple is Wayy Gay'er than anything out there beside the butt plug. Apple rainbow logo has way too many similarities to gay's rainbow flag.

http://tbn0.google.com/images?q=tbn:pNUPvtQAgDj8UM:http://content.answers.com/main/content/wp/en/c/c4/Apple_Computer_Logo.svg.png

[KR @ Jul 5th 2007 5:33PM]

He's going to challenge Carlos Slim to a no-holds-barred deathmatch in order to reclaim the title of World's Richest Man.

[CharlieX @ Jul 5th 2007 5:36PM]

Hi, my name is Bill Gates, and I'm an alcoholic.

[Buck Jones III @ Jul 5th 2007 5:37PM]

I'm guessing that he will announce the Microsoft Surface latop and desktop computer versions. It will also tie in with XBOX 360 and Windows Live Games somehow.

[Nando @ Jul 5th 2007 5:40PM]

Getting Gay with Kids is here! To spread the word, and bring you cheer!

[Cpt.Scarecrow @ Jul 5th 2007 5:44PM]

I bet he's going to anounce some sort of magical device that can generate free energy.

[aStopperBy @ Jul 5th 2007 10:12PM]

Already been invented:

http://www.popsci.com/popsci/science/873aae7bf86c0110vgnvcm1000004eecbccdrcrd.html

[benny daon @ Jul 9th 2007 2:48AM]

Give him credit.
He'll probably say something like: "We're going to upgrade IE 6 & 7 so they'll comply with the css standard".
Just imagine what we can do with all the hours spent on IE bugs.

[Aaron @ Jul 5th 2007 5:59PM]

It'll be the new Zune (whether it will be a phone or not remains to be seen).

Something new for the 360. Expanded Live services (more of that "cloud" stuff he seems enamored with lately), Vista SP1.

He'll be showing off the third generation UMPCs and talking about Windows Mobile 7. He'll bring up the new things coming for Office. Chat up the Surface more by saying how widely used it is. He also talk about Tablets along with Intel's new chip.

Those are the things he seems proudest of accomplishing in the last five years at Microsoft.

He'll want to go out on a high note seeing as this may be his last CES. He'll talk about the successes (no pun intended) before he lets Ballmer completely ruin Microsoft.

[Homeboy @ Jul 5th 2007 6:00PM]

He will announce the XPHONE 180.

[Unregistered @ Jul 5th 2007 10:52PM]

Oh no, by then iPhone will already be in Gen 2.. so he will it xPhone 360 to give the impression its one step ahead of the competition! :P

[Kris @ Jul 6th 2007 1:09PM]

He will probably be announcing this...

http://media.howstuffworks.com/reuters/video/microsoft-s-amazing-surfa-2334.htm

[David Jacobs @ Jul 5th 2007 6:15PM]

Microsoft Surface - now integrated into toilet seats. When you sit down, the seat knows and starts a water enema. Talk about multi-touch!

[Peter Hamby @ Jul 5th 2007 7:14PM]

maybe give all the vista users a refund and tell to wait 5 more years for the features that were in the uber cool longhorn betas

[alienbones @ Jul 5th 2007 7:31PM]

Bill Gates will not show up. In his place John Hodgman will announce that Microsoft is closing shop.

[Simba @ Jul 5th 2007 8:46PM]

A true visionary and philanthropist. We'll miss ya gates. Good luck with the foundation.

[The Fake Bill Gates @ Jul 5th 2007 10:57PM]

Hi, my name is Bill Gates, and I'm the world's richest man, psych.

[Huy @ Jul 6th 2007 4:10PM]

Bill, seeing as how you read Engadget, hopefully you'll be reading our comments as well. I, for one, appreciate all the products you have brought us (XP, 360, Vista - in no particular order of course). And I sincerely hope you'll release a product that knocks our socks off!

[waddo @ Jul 6th 2007 1:01AM]

he will obviously say that tablet's are still the next big thing and how great the origami project is.

And I agree, I sometimes have real trouble swallowing tablets and i love folding paper into flapping birds.

Bill's on the ball Bill is.

keep smiling
http://www.waddo.net/

[Ward Mundy @ Jul 6th 2007 5:28AM]

Here's a perfect headliner for Bill and (again) he can thank Apple for the idea... iQuit.

[Ben Hobbs @ Jul 6th 2007 12:24PM]

IPTV for the 360?

[JAN @ Dec 25th 2007 3:15PM]

A very big surprise will be if he announces that he's releasing windows source code (as a final dying stab at Apple :D )

[sean percival @ Jan 7th 2008 2:53AM]

More info and video here:

http://www.mahalo.com/Bill_Gates_CES_2008_Keynote