Without doubt, Windows Phone 7 had a huge launch. But while it's been trumpeting the astounding successes of Kinect and Windows 7, Microsoft's been relatively mute about its latest mobile offering, revealing so-so sales figures just a couple weeks ago.
From the stage at CES, Ballmer said, "The reaction to the product has been great. We launched nine phones across... 30 countries."
Ballmer also gave some numbers about Windows Phone 7 app development. "Our customers get access to more than 100 new applications every 24 hours... More than 20,000 developers are keeping the pipeline full."
In addition to touting the OS's compatibility with games (not surprising considering Microsoft's strong position in the gaming world vis-à-vis Xbox), a company rep also showed off a slew of apps most people will find quite handy, including deep, native integration with Microsoft Office.
And another metric of success was mentioned; customer satisfaction, said Ballmer, is high. "When people see the phone," he remarked onstage, "they fall in love with it... Nine out of 10 customers say they'd recommend the phone." He also said users find the phone snappy, easy to use and a joy to behold.