Live from Vegas: CES 2023
Live from Vegas: CES 2023
I got a hug from a virtual person, and it was 73% as good as the real thing
CES, formerly known as the Consumer Electronics Show, is the global gathering of innovators for tech’s biggest showcase of the year. It’s two million net square feet of exhibit space, spans 11 venues, and there’s a projection of 100,000 people to come together and gawk at giant TVs and autonomous cars and robots everywhere.
This event is historically one of the best ways to get a pulse on emerging trends in technology that will impact consumers. Why should marketers care? Paying attention to the trends coming out of CES helps inform our brands how they can and will engage with their audiences through these emerging technologies.
We’re past the point where new tech innovations don’t impact marketing plans. So we have to study this stuff closely. And sure, some of the “innovations” here are vaporware, but overall there are always common themes and trends from the show that prove valuable every year.
I first attended CES in 2008. It was a different world than today. It was pre-Uber. The iPhone hadn’t turned one yet, and it was six years before Amazon would introduce Alexa. I used an actual camera to take photos (gasp!) and a Flip Video camera to record digital video.
Below is a pretty compelling compilation of CNN’s coverage from CES 1989, covering the introduction of the CD player, portable television sets, the threat of the VCR medium to Hollywood, a teddy bear car alarm, and that cool new gaming system called Nintendo. It’s a great example of how impactful these products can be on our world if you look past the teddy bar car alarm and into the future of entertainment, gaming, culture, and connectivity.
Over the last 15 years, I’ve observed trends from CES that today seem commonplace, like:
Smartphone at the Center of Everything
Internet of Things (IoT) and Wearables Shifting From Products to Platform
Sensors in Everything
At-Home Accessible Healthcare
and more.
And although there are great takeaways, the “WTF?” moments are also memorable from years past. Robotic belts. Flying cars. A gokart suitcase. Robotic tails. And yes, I honestly love this stuff, of course. Here’s a device that makes your potato smart.
I personally buy a lot of emerging technology to test. I’ve owned 7 smartwatches and quantified health trackers, Google Glass and Alexa Echo Smart Glasses, a smart fridge, three robot vacuums, two VR helmets, and have my whole house wired up and connected to the Internet of Things.
If there’s a thing in my house you can sync to another thing, I’ve synced it. You have to get your hands dirty to really understand this stuff, even if it may not have longevity. Because sometimes it may.
Bouncing Back from COVID
Whereas 2021’s CES was all-digital and focused on pandemic-fueled tech trends, the 2022 show limped along as hybrid – some in-person and some online – in a manner that was as unsatisfying as it sounds. But this year, it’s packed. The hotel desk told me yesterday was the busiest day they’ve had since early 2020. There are lines for everything. And the buzz is palpable. Things are back, baby!
So far this year there is a ton of conversation and innovation around the metaverse (and Metaverse of Things?!) and its impact on the future of social media. Although Apple isn’t at the show, the leak that the tech giant’s AR/VR headset will launch in 2023 suddenly increased relevance and pressure on all of the products being debuted at this year’s show.
This year I’m seeing lots of cool new technology to help people work from home. I got a demo of a cartridge-based, at-home COVID/Flu/RSV test. And everywhere you look there is a wealth of smart devices and cameras and smart thinking about how humans can stay connected.
So far my favorites include a portable 7-camera 3D volumetric scanner from Sony, a satellite anyone can rent for 90 minutes to take photos of Earth (or space) from Star Sphere, and some new haptic technology from bHaptics that helps you FEEL in virtual reality, including a vest and gloves to replicate touch. I high-fived and hugged a person in virtual reality, and it was 73 percent as good as the real thing. Really.
I’m headed back to the convention center today. You can follow my updates live from the show floor on Twitter: @gregswan
And I’ve done two interviews on WCCO radio this week to share some of my favorite finds so far. Here’s a link to the preview day and here’s yesterday’s report from the floor.
More to come. There are more robots to high-five and hug, so I’m going to run to the shuttle bus now. PS: If you dig stuff like this, would you share this newsletter with others for me? Thx.
See you in the future!
Greg