Bing: We will be this sort of thread that runs through almost everything Microsoft is doing

The future of search, according to Microsoft, is outside of the white search bar. "Now the way for human beings to express their interest or needs goes way beyond a browser search typing in keywords," said Microsoft's Bing chief, Qi Lu. "You can use voice to have a conversation, you can use gestures to express yourself."

Moving forward, Bing will fit into all of Microsoft's products, providing information access from physical objects to expand the context of its search.

"The battle between us and Google is going to be over who can build understanding more quickly to serve people in a much more anticipatory way," says Microsoft's Adam Sohn. "Google's going to understand every entity on the planet, we're gonna understand every entity on the planet, but the question will be what do you do with that information?"

Bing is already merging into Microsoft products, mainly with Windows 8, Windows Phone, and Xbox. A forthcoming update to Windows 8 codenamed Windows Blue, provides even more Bing integration. The upcoming Xbox, codenamed Durango, will have significantly improved interactions through Bing, such as wake-on-voice, natural language controls, and speech-to-text. "We will be this sort of thread that runs through almost everything Microsoft is doing," says Sohn.

Bing sees itself in a more pivotal position than Google. "They're in a different position to what we are, 97 percent of their revenue comes from advertising," says Sohn. "I think 97 percent of ours doesn't...We can probably be a little bit more disruptive to the search category than they can, or that they're willing to be."

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