Two press-only events open this year’s 2012 CES show
Over 5,000 members of the media from around the world decended on Las Vegas to cover this year’s International Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas. In a media only event yesterday, all journalists were invited to attend two presentations on the state of the industry.
While 5,000 journalists were invited, the press briefing room was only large enough for a couple hundred people. Interestingly enough, that was the same scenario last year. Most journalists never made it in to the room.
The first presentation, “2012 CES Trends to Watch” was intended to give an overview of the “hot” products to look for this year.
Shawn Dubravac, industry analyst for CEA, forecast that in 2012, manufacturers will strive to create more seamless interactions for consumers with their connected TV's and other devices. Gesture and voice controls will now be imbedded in more and more devices due to their low cost.
He also stressed that this year we should see much more emphasis on organization of content, as consumers are challenged with finding their photos, videos and other self-created media.
A third trend to watch is personalization, as each consumer now can have their own “experience” using a device. With the proliferation of apps and software available, one person’s usage of an iPad or smartphone will be wildly different than the next.
The second presentation was entitled “The Changing Shape of Global Tech Device Markets.”
Steve Bambridge and Steve Koening, global analysts for consumer electronics, forecast global tech device spending to exceed USD$ 1 trillion in 2012, driven by smartphones and tablets. The biggest growth this year is expected in lower priced smartphones.
Interesting note, in some developing countries, there are more smartphones than toothbrushes. Worldwide demand is increasing in developing countries while it has peaked in the more developed countries. In the developed countries, spending is skewed toward “big” products like LCD and LED TV’s and higher priced tablets.
The 2012 International Consumer Electronics Show has attracted 146,529 registered attendees from over 140 countries. The show fills 1.6 million square feet of display space, filling both Las Vegas convention centers and represents 15 different consumer technology markets, including:
Audio
Automotive Electronics
Computer Hardware & Software
Connected Home
Content Distribution
Digital Health and Fitness
Digital Imaging/Photography
Electronic Gaming
Emerging Technology
Entertainment/Content
Internet-Based Multimedia Systems
Lifestyle Electronics
Telecommunications
Infrastructure
Video
Wireless & Wireless Devices
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