Overflowing with innovation, CES 2024 opens the window to the future of technology. Discover the surprises it has in store for us.
CES is mostly a chance to make a statement. The massive consumer electronics show is strategically positioned for the week after the start of the year. All the holiday tech gifts have already been bought, used or returned, a distant memory for tech companies looking to establish themselves as leading innovators for the year ahead.
CES is a big show, with the 2020 show hosting 171,000 visitors, according to organizer CTA. Despite declining numbers in subsequent years, 2023 saw a respectable 115,000 visitors.
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The impact of CES has changed over time. Before the pandemic, some of the biggest exhibitors preferred to follow Apple's strategy, leaving the biggest announcements for their own events. As companies have been forced to hold virtual events in recent years, this strategy has become entrenched for many of them.
However, this shift has proven beneficial for the show, as it has paved the way for startups. For smaller and newer companies, events like this are a chance to get in front of journalists, distributors, manufacturers, and more in the consumer tech space. As many startups who have been approached have probably told you, it’s really hard to stand out in the hundreds of emails I get every day (and on LinkedIn, Twitter, and Facebook, too — but please, don’t do that).
Attending CES offers the opportunity to share a physical space with the person presenting their idea. This is extremely useful for hardware companies who can present their products in person.
The Eureka Park area at the Venetian Expo is the most dynamic, interesting and chaotic of the show. Despite the health issue, hotel room meetings are of interest, especially from companies that do not have a booth.
Despite health concerns, there is optimism about CES due to interesting trends in the consumer hardware industry and impressive responses to a call for startup presentations.
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Interesting trends are emerging, with productive artificial intelligence standing out as a prominent and significant phenomenon in the space.
The enthusiastic response to Language Models has amazed the general public. After hearing about AI their whole lives, humans can now type in text and instantly receive an image, video, story, or song. Humane recently demonstrated how systems like ChatGPT for consumer use, sparking interest for good reason.
2024 is expected to be the year of claims about genetic artificial intelligence in software products. While some will be impressive, most are expected to be marketing hype. It is up to journalists to do the hard work of discerning the truth.
When it comes to robotics, CES has been looking at the sector for a few years now. However, most of the products that qualify are essentially Roomba derivatives, which falls short of the revolutionary promises.
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More companies are expected to focus on behind-the-scenes automation, with major partnerships and announcements including systems like Agility’s Digit and Boston Dynamics’ Stretch. A continued focus on TV is also expected, with LG setting out its announcement strategy ahead of CES.
As Kirsten confirms, a big part of CES’s evolution in recent years has been its emphasis as a major automotive show. Given how technology is intertwined with the automotive industry, this move makes sense. Last year, the entire shiny new West Pavilion at the Las Vegas was dedicated to mobility.
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Automakers are generally making noise at the event, including companies like Toyota and Hyundai, which own TRI and Boston Dynamics respectively. As for health technology, it is expected to play a major role, covering topics like sleep monitoring, blood glucose monitoring, blood pressure, with Apple's absence weighing on the market.
AR/VR was undoubtedly the highlight of last year's event, while Apple is expected to unveil the Vision Pro next month.
Always eager to be in the spotlight, Nvidia seems to be gearing up for some major releases. Artificial intelligence will, of course, be a central theme. There are rumors circulating that the RTX 4070 Super and RTX 4080 Super GPUs will be launched at the event.
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CES will run from January 9-12 in Las Vegas. The big days of press events kick off two days before, on January 7. Keep an eye on our CES 2024 page for the latest news.
Source of information: https://techcrunch.com
