Two bits of news came out yesterday that illustrate how far ahead Microsoft is in the battle for the living room.
First, Microsoft announced it had sold 1.7 million Xboxes in November. That includes 1 million in the week of Thanksgiving.
More quietly, an analyst firm called Strategy Analytics released a report on "connected TV players," like Apple TV, Boxee, and the Google TV devices from Sony and Logitech.
The firm says that sales of those devices will reach 12 million in 2011, with Apple TV shipping 4 million.
In other words, Microsoft sold more Xboxes in a single week than Apple sells in an average quarter. And Apple is the market leader in that "connected TV players" space. At least when you ignore game consoles.