CES 2019 — The year software took over the hardware show
When part of your identity has become “the one who loves CES,” there is no shortage of inquiries immediately following the annual event. “How was CES?” or “What was your favorite thing you saw?” or “What is the coolest tech you found?”
There is only one that I can immediately answer — “How were the parties?” — and that’s only because I wouldn’t know. I spend evenings in my hotel, resting my feet and back because the 2019 CES show floor covered 2.9 million net square feet!
The rest of the questions are always tough — where do I possibly begin? The most memorable moments include: the first step off of the monorail and taking in the full view of the Las Vegas Convention Center once again; walking into Eureka Park (the startup area) and noticing that the number of French companies doubled from two years ago; the first time laying eyes on LG’s monstrous curvature nature display, the jaw drop at the size of the John Deere tractor they rolled in; the eye-widening when witnessing the hybrid-electric air-taxi from Bell; the joy of finding the booth with that-thing-you-saw-on-ABC-tech-blog; and, best of all, discovering something cool that you haven’t seen covered yet.
The most energizing moments at CES always come when you are shoulder-to-shoulder with fellow grin-donning geeks, catching a glimpse of our collective future with smarter homes and cities and witnessing the promise of dreams from childhood come true with robot companions and flying cars.
Heartwarming moments are usually those spent with the inventors found in Eureka Park. They aren’t designated spokespeople or marketers; they are the dreamers and hopefuls, and their passion is always infectious. And while you there are always a few ideas that raise an eyebrow (“Why?”), a large number of them are trying to solve real problems and apply tech for good-helping seniors, those with different abilities, children and even people struggling with drug addiction.
Can you see why it is hard to answer simple questions? As a researcher, I take time to reflect and let what I saw and heard simmer on the mental back burner before I decide on the best takeaways. Here are my top nine:
Software is the new king of CES
2019 will be marked as the year that software took over the hardware show. This was my ninth consecutive show. I’ve seen the smartphone boom, then tablets, then fitness bands, and also smart watches. I’ve seen the increase and decline in 3D TV and 3D printing. Last year, I wrote how CES 2018 was an iteration year, focused on the perfecting of existing tech — i.e. smart watches became more fashionable and smart mirrors offered more seamless display and function. In looking back, it was the start of a receding hardware wave for the software tsunami that was coming in 2019.
By day two of CES 2019, it was clear that this was happening. The ball had moved significantly for data, connectivity and AI. We have moved beyond basic control and automation intelligence to machine learning and adaptation. Keynotes normally flooded with the appearance of shiny new goods and flashy services (the audience never knowing what’s viable or a smoke-and-mirrors representation of something that might be viable) were rather uneventful with talk about the evolution of data, AI and infrastructure (LG, IBM) and creative (Sony). The speakers and promises were undoubtedly impressive, but those craving a parade of tech were disappointed. There were some exceptions (Samsung), but the shift was noticed by more than a few of us.
Partnerships
What else was new or growing this year? Partnerships. As companies go digital and missions grow wide and deep, partners can be the fastest way to fill gaps. Every time you checked coverage, there was a new notable partnership. Just a few that I noted included:
· Apple and Samsung-Samsung is bringing support for iTunes and TV Shows to its TVs.
· Intel announced several new partnerships, from Alibaba to Comcast and T-Mobile to Warner Brothers.
· Nvidia and Mercedes-Benz both announced that they will partner on AI for next-gen vehicles.
· Qualcomm with Ford, Audi and Ducati-Auto makers showed off C-V2X demos from their joint work on this technology.
5G heat and hype
As seen last year, there were plenty of talks and visions about what the impact of 5G networks will be. As CTA’s VP of Market Research Steve Koenig shared in his trends presentation, there are developments happening around the globe, with carriers in Europe aiming for deployment in 2020. And while AT&T is going to confuse consumers with a 5Ge marketing scheme, it won’t be in the U.S. any time soon. The real 5G is the promising boost in capabilities for our increasingly connected world.
C-V2X connects the dots
One benefactor from the 5G evolution will be autos. A primary communication channel for the up-and-coming Cellular Vehicle-to-Everything (C-V2X), 5G will help autos communicate with other surrounding autos as well as other traffic instruments, mobile devices and more. C-V2X wasn’t brand new, but the progress was — Qualcomm is working with the City of Las Vegas to install and test the tech along select roadways.
Smart assistant wars
If Alexa, Cortana, Siri, Google and Bixby could go bowling together, would they? If we could wage a virtual assistant showdown, who would win? For CES, Google won the visibility battle. It seemed like just about any booth that featured a Google assistant-powered product also had a Google assistant representative in a fun uniform.
Steve Koenig had a few interesting comments to share in this area: “we are on the cusp of new consumer behavior-doing a pivot from app to voice/digital assistant,” and we are testing out more and more “vessels for the genie.” Backing up these comments were many findings in Edison Research which Tom Webster jointly reported with NPR in The Smart Audio Report. While a relatively small number of people in the U.S. own a smart-assistant appliance, the number has gone up dramatically, and a majority of those owners don’t want to go back to life without it. Users are also very forgiving of the tech, according to Webster. They still see the experience as “functional magic” where their curiosity and pride are lighting the way.
Audio advances
The expansion and evolution of far-field audio sensors-for using with those assistants from around the home-and the explorations of the power of ear buds were big. From personalizing the sound for your ears to enhancing audio or adding features like assistants and translators, there were more ear pieces on display from a variety of vendors and doing different things.
8K is actually amazing
There are endless innovations happening in the world of display, and at CES, 8K was out in a big way this year. While we are just now starting to see more 4K content availability, that doesn’t mean consumers won’t drool and hedge toward these latest sets as they become more available, especially with the promises of making 4K content even better (sound like our 5Ge marketing ploy?). If you simply can’t wait, though, you could rush out to drop $15K for that 8K just in time for the Super Bowl.
More and more of the same?
The annual proliferation of “also rans” in a number of product categories is a perennial occurrence. This year it was over-the-head headphones, bluetooth speakers, floor-sweeper bots, and TVs! Drones and 3D printing still had dedicated sections but seemingly fewer vendors for each, and drone vendors really tried to differentiate, a fact exemplified by the weight-lifting Yamaha delivery drone or the fire-fighting drone from Walkera.
Inclusion and diversity
It’s worth noting that Gary Shapiro and others dedicated a good chunk of his time talking about the importance of immigration on innovation and the negative impact of tariffs on the global economy. IBM CEO Ginni Rometty spoke of the value of support through new forms of education, like the Pathway to Technology high school program, and the importance of hiring those with diverse backgrounds. She even introduced five IBM employees and let them share their varied stories about how they came to the apprenticeship program. The CTA’s Coalition will be modeled after IBM’s program and will have several corporate participants this year, with thousands of paid apprenticeships available to help bridge part of the 500,000 worker gap.
I’ll be there in 2020
I’ve met plenty of people who don’t care for CES and avoid it at all costs. And with the energy and intake capacity required, I can understand it. But for me, it has become an important part of how I start my year-time spent among other tech-optimists, reminding ourselves of how far we’ve come and everything that is possible.
