While it lacks the mobility usually associated with this class of device, there's an 80-inch tablet serving the head of Microsoft as a wallboard and as a substitute for other work-related gear.

Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer received compensation valued at $1.38 million this year, according to documents filed this week with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. His total package is up roughly 2% compared to 2010, when he received compensation valued at $1.35 million.

Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer has assured analysts that Windows remains the software maker's financial foundation, even though slowing personal computer sales are raising worries about the operating system's ability to adapt.

Microsoft's next version of the Windows operating system, dubbed Windows 8, will debut in 2012, company CEO Steve Ballmer said Monday.

Anticipation was high before this week's Consumers Electronics Show in Las Vegas that Microsoft would once and for all present a viable iPad competitor.

The big news this week out of Redmondland was CEO Steve Ballmer's Cloud Manifesto at the University of Washington. Big Steve was explicit in his remarks: Microsoft is betting its future on cloud computing.