At the 2009 International Consumer Electronics Show, Ballmer said the beta version of Windows 7, would be available Friday by Internet download for consumers who wanted to give it a "test-drive."

The new system, which Ballmer said was "on track to deliver simplicity and reliability," would be available Jan. 9, he said.

Ballmer called Windows 7 and Windows Live "an incredible pipeline of consumer technology that is making it easier than ever for people to communicate, share and get more done."

Ballmer said he expected "a lot of techies ... a lot of corporate IT people ... my 14-year-old son," will be among those to download the system, before it is made commercially available.

The system is designed to do "what the consumer wants," Microsoft said, make streaming music and videos easier.

Robbie Back, president of Microsoft's Entertainment & Devises Division, who shared the stage with Ballmer at the CES in Las Vegas, said the system could deliver entertainment on "virtually any screen that consumers commonly use today, including the PC, TV and mobile phone," Microsoft said