How is Microsoft hoping consumers to spend on technology toys and software this holiday season? The theme at the company’s Holiday 2008 “In the (K)now” showcase in New York City this week is less is more. (A theme which fits nicely with Microsoft’s campaign to encourage its PC partners to de-crapify their Vista PCs in the name of improving Windows systems’ out-of-the-box experience. More on that below.)

Microsoft officials hosting the showcase for local press acknowledged that two-thirds of Americans are going to spend less this holiday season. They claimed 50 percent of Americans are looking to pool their resources to buy one, larger gift, rather than many smaller ones. And three quarters of holiday shoppers are looking at entertainment gifts to be used at home. (All of these stats and more are from a “national random digit dialing phone study conducted by StrategyOne Research, September 2008.”)

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