Giant TVs, laser-equipped cars, wearable computers — it ought to be the 2014 Consumer Electronics Show. Which products will dazzle?
The Consumer Electronics Show kicks off next week in Las Vegas, that means somewhere locally of 150,000 people will flock to the desert, desirous to learn where the tech industry will place its bets for the imminent year.
“Bets” is an acceptable term — and never simply because of the venue. A few of the technologies recently hyped at CES haven’t paid off. Not one of the exhibitors gambling on 3D televisions were rewarded yet, for instance.
But CES can also be a launchpad for a lot of of today’s most compelling trends. Smartphones with bendable or curved displays could become the norm before long — and Samsung prophesied as much finally year’s CES, when it demonstrated its flexible glass technology. 3D printing, smart cars, connected fitness devices, and wearable technology were other CES 2013 trends that seem poised to interrupt out in 2014.
CES 2014 will feature greater than 3,000 exhibitors. That’s greater than the Las Vegas Convention Center’s 3.2 million square feet can accommodate, so attendees would be scrambling not just round the crowded exhibits, but in addition into meeting rooms and conference halls spread across nearby hotels. Product demonstrations aren’t the only real attraction. The keynote lineup includes such heavy hitters as Yahoo CEO Marissa Mayer and Cisco CEO John Chambers.
Las Vegas is a monument to conspicuous consumption, so a number of the hubbub inevitably will revolve around vapid first-world problems. I’m staring at you, $650 crocodile-skin iPhone case. But even though you are a hardened cynic, CES should offer something to inspire; from wearable devices to the web of factors to solar-powered cars, a few of the products at this year’s show use technologies which may literally change the sector.
And when you are not a tech cynic, you’re in for a treat. There’ll be enough tablets, ultrabooks, TVs, and cameras to exhaust even the foremost enthusiastic of technophiles. TV manufacturers appear determined to make 4K sets an even bigger deal than their 3D predecessors, and though the largest, most glorious models still target those that also own private jets, some shall be available to mere mortals.
In an indication of the computer industry’s ongoing power shift, several manufacturers will showcase desktop machines that run operating systems aside from Windows. 3D printing also could push further into the mainstream at CES 2014.
This year’s show runs Jan. 7-10 and InformationWeek may be there to bring you news and analysis. Meanwhile, we’ve collected probably the most cooler products slated to seem. Will a car with laser-beam headlights enthrall your inner motorist? What a couple of big-screen TV that curves around you? Or maybe one of the most new low-budget tablets? Click through our slideshow to look what’s cooking at CES 2014.
Michael Endler joined InformationWeek as an associate editor in 2012. He graduated from Stanford in 2005 and previously worked in talent representation, as a contract copywriter and photojournalist, and as a teacher.
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