NEWS ANALYSIS: The Consumer Electronics Show has just kicked off, but already, some major themes are clearly apparent from the news coming out of the show.
It's
quickly apparent from the early announcements and from the sights on the show
floor what are the prominent news themes of the 2012 Consumer Electronics Show,
industry's biggest trade show. In previous years, such trends included the
deluge of tablets or the influx of touch-screen-based smartphones. The show has
also been home to some of the first glimpses of HDTVs and interesting new
computer concepts.
But
this year, a host of trends are taking hold.
It seems that going into CES, several prominent companies had similar ideas
in mind for what they should try to accomplish this year, and their engineers
developed products that, by the look of things, only build upon those that came
before them. So by and large the show is filled with products that aren't all
that revolutionary. And that is making some people wonder if this year CES is
really worth paying much attention to.
Inevitably,
that decision is best left to those on the sidelines waiting to see what kind
of news comes out. But for those who want to get an overview of the major
trends already emerging from the show, take a first look at some of the top
trends emerging so far at the 2012 Consumer Electronics Show:
1. The big companies don't care
As
Microsoft showed at its CES keynote on Jan. 9, it really doesn't care much
about the show any longer. Its decision to no longer attend the event after
this year only further supports that argument. But Microsoft isn't alone. Some
of the top companies in the world, including Sony and Samsung, haven't made CES
their top priority this year. Sure, they've announced some new things, but in
many cases, they've decided to hold back their top announcements for a later
time. It appears big companies just don't care as much about CES.
2. Bigger and better HDTVs are everywhere
If
there is one thing that's very obvious on the CES show floor it's HDTVs. From
Sony to Samsung to LG, just about every TV vendor is showing off some neat new
products. They include features like 4K resolution, ultra-wide-screen viewing
and OLED screens. HDTVs might just steal the CES show this year.
3. Voice recognition is a must-have
When
LG unveiled its new HDTVs at CES on Jan. 9, the company also discussed the
integration of voice recognition with those sets. But LG isn't alone. Countless
companies have been showing off products that feature voice recognition in some
form. Is a Siri-like experience going to find its way into more product
categories this year? It certainly seems so.
4. Ultrabooks galore
Ultrabooks
are everywhere at CES. The lightweight, thin notebooks are currently on
display from HP, Acer and many other companies. They underscore where the PC
market is headed this year. The only question now is, will ultrabooks
ultimately be successful?
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