The 2011 Consumer Electronics Show opens today, and when the doors open, more than 100,000 people will rush onto the hundreds of thousands of square feet of exhibit space, searching for the latest and greatest new technologies and products. Yet, when you take into account the many variables that each CES delivers, it’s more than likely that only ten percent of those products will offer truly innovative evolution.
In our business, we work with a wide range of products, all involving media, and all related to interaction with a sales team, and distribution network, an employee base, or a broad public audience. In year’s past, it was questionable that the many products shown at CES would impact our clients and our production/communications process. This year, there is critical and essential links between what nearly all of our clients do, and what these new products will deliver.
So, what are we looking for? What will you be looking for in the coming months?
The short answer is connecting the home and office to the Internet. This year’s show will highlight the television as a window into multimedia, not just cable or satellite television. Already, companies like Apple and Microsoft have created links between their computing and smartphone devices and TVs. Now, television companies will be linking the Internet with their large LCD, LED, and Plasma screens. The “app†will move into the TV, bypassing the computer. And the relationship between apps, computing devices, and televisions will blur into a jumble of names, brands, positioning, and pricing.
And that’s where the mess could begin. Only a few companies truly understand the relationship between all of these technologies and users. And only users can truly determine what works and what is look alike nonsense.
But beneath all of these devices, there are some substantial trends we should all be aware of. The ability to manage music and video via a phone or iPad style device is here. Linking the data between those devices allows a completely new way to watch media or to share photos, presentations, play games, or communicate with others. In the home, this means a more diverse and controllable environment. In business, this opens new doors to the marketing of products and a total rethink relative to how you reach your prospects.
Business websites need to be redesigned, so they can support greater interactivity, customer feedback, and the ability for a customer/prospect to take some action, based on what they see. In this new world, a sales agent can show a photo on his smartphone, then beam it to a large television. He can send an email that opens a video in HD, with links at the end to surveys, eStores, and much more. And now, you can extend that capability to your car, SUV, or other vehicle. This year’s CES will see the introduction of “auto apps” that run on smartphones and deliver the Internet to your in-vehicle experience. It’s just another reason to take your eyes off the road.
Will people take advantage of these new technologies? 13 million people have already said “YES†by purchasing the iPad from Apple. The Cupertino technology maker is on the verge of becoming the first American company with a net value in excess of $1 trillion dollars. And all this in the midst of a recession.
Now, CES promises to flood the market with an array of products and technologies that will take the iPad revolution to a new level. Interesting times we’re living in…
During the coming few days, we’ll search for the unique products that tie the web, video, survey, feedback, community, and sales markets together. It’s gonna be fun.