[quote from Guinness World Records blog]

Guinness World Records, the global authority on record breaking, today confirm that the Kinect for the Xbox 360 is the Fastest-Selling Consumer Electronics Device.  The hardware, that allows controller-free gaming, sold through an average of 133,333 units per day, for a total of 8 million units in its first 60 days on sale from 4 November 2010 to 3 January 2011.

The sales figures outstrip both the iPhone and the iPad for the equivalent periods after launch.

Gaz Deaves, Editor of Guinness World Records 2011 Gamer’s Edition, said: “The sales figures here speak for themselves.  We can confirm that no other consumer electronics device sold faster within a 60-day time span, an incredible achievement considering the strength of the sector.”

The new record will be included in the next Guinness World Records Gamer’s Edition, which recognises record breaking achievement in the world of videogames. The current Guinness World Records 2011 Gamer’s Edition is available in both book and eBook versions at http://gamers.guinnessworldrecords.com.

[end quote]

Here’s are my thoughts:

• Microsoft’s Kinect sold 8 million units in its first 60 days on sale, making it the fastest selling electronics device known to the human race.
• Apple’s iPhone sold only 6.1 million units in the first 20 months.
• Apple’s iPad sold only 3 million units in its first 80 days.
• Windows Phone 7 was sold on 1.5 million devices in its first 42 days. Even if we assume that Windows Phone 7 units keep selling at the same rate, we will still overtake the iPhone within 6 months.
• Windows 7 sold 150 million copies as of June 2010 (7 copies sold every second!), making it the fastest selling computer operating system known to mankind.
• Microsoft has always been at the center of innovation and will always continue making best-in-class products for consumers and the enterprise.

During my recent trip to Dubai, I came across Microsoft Surface units in the Emirates Lounge at Dubai Airport Terminal 3.

The Microsoft Surface units had a variety of applications, games and media on it for passenger entertainment. I found an intuitive application that lets one customize and send a postcard via email. Here’s a video of that application that I took on my cellphone camera.

I was holding the cellphone with one hand, so I couldn’t demonstrate true ‘multi-touch’

The Emirates lounge also had many xbox units with some exciting games, including Forza Motorsport. The whole lounge is pretty hi-tech, except for the internet kiosks, which still ran Windows XP with Internet Explorer 6 in a lockdown mode, that allows only one browser instance to be opened with no tabs!

No words. You *have to* watch it in action! Check out the video!

Xbox 360 Elite bought today will support this technology in the future.