Microsoft's Kinect sensor is the fastest-selling consumer electronics device on record, according to Guinness World Records, beating previous records held by Apple's iPhone and iPad as the race between rivals heats up with the imminent iPad 2 launch.
"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," said Gaz Davies, editor of "Guinness World Records 2011 Gamer's Edition." The company also indicated that Kinect sales eclipsed "both the iPhone and the iPad for the equivalent periods after launch."
But the race will only heat up as Microsoft rival Apple gears up to release the iPad 2 to market tomorrow, where online sales open at 4 a.m. EST through Apple's website. The device is expected to be a blockbuster despite the growing field of competitors in the emerging tablet market, which the company's previous iPad defined and lead easily in 2010. While upstarts like Motorola's Xoom and Samsung's Galaxy Tab eroded Apple's initial 96 percent market share in the first half of 2010, the iPad easily still held 75 percent of the sector in the last quarter of 2010, according to research firm Strategy Analytics.
Apple is also set to release the iPhone 5 this year, expected in June or July. Previous iPhones were launched with great fanfare, featuring crowds in its retail locations and lines around the block to get the device.
The Kinect world record must be highly-satisfying for Microsoft, which has struggled against Apple in the mobile market. The software giant, once a market leader with its Windows Mobile OS on a variety of smartphones, found its presence eclipsed by Apple's iPhone and the growing slate of devices powered by Google's Android platform. It failed with efforts like the ill-fated Kin to create a compelling hardware offering.
Its new operating system, Windows Phone 7, which was designed to get the software maker back in the game, has received good reviews but has failed to gain traction against rivals, particularly Android. Microsoft recently partnered with Nokia, however, to bring Windows Phone to Nokia phones around the globe, upping the profile of the still-young system, and has ramped up development efforts to bring more apps to its mobile system.
But Microsoft has remained a leader in gaming with its Xbox device, and clearly Kinect has found an audience and boosted the company as it flagged elsewhere. However, its rivals show no signs of stopping, and the Guinness world record may shift a few times before we see a definitive, long-running winner.
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