Bill Gates says goodbye to your mouse

Bill Gates, who built his fortune equipping the personal computer, predicts that the keyboard and mouse will soon become relics.

The founder of Microsoft Corp used his swansong to the technology industry on Sunday to spell out a vision of a “digital decade” of telephones, televisions and cars that respond to voice and touch.

“This is the area that people underestimate the most,” he said. Mr Gates, who plans to retire from day-to-day operations at Microsoft in July to oversee his $37 billion (£18 billion) charitable foundation, gave a keynote address to a packed 3,500-seat Las Vegas ballroom at the world’s largest consumer electronics show.

He predicted that high-definition video “will be everywhere” from TV to wall projections to screens built into desks. Users will be able to roam in 3-D through virtual worlds when they shop or interact online with friends. Devices will connect seamlessly so that data is transferred automatically from computer to mobile phone, for instance. “When you take a photo, it will show up where you want it to show up,” he said.