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Microsoft's annual shareholders meeting will be held Nov. 14, as announced in the company's proxy statement yesterday. As it turns out, that's also the date of Microsoft's Zune launch. Coincidence? Maybe, maybe not. But either way, it's a pretty safe bet that Microsoft executives, seeking to show shareholders that the company is exploring new opportunities for growth, will take advantage of the timing to highlight the portable media player at the meeting.

In the same way, CEO Steve Ballmer trumpeted the "Halo 2" launch at the shareholders meeting a couple years ago. And last year's big demo, during Bill Gates' presentation, was the Xbox 360, just before the console came out.

Of course, there's an even bigger product, Windows Vista, waiting in the wings as this year's shareholders meeting approaches. Given the timing, and the continued fogginess around the precise Windows Vista release dates, it will be interesting to see if the company is able to tell shareholders at the meeting that the new operating system is in the hands of business customers.