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Has CES Lost Its Star Appeal?
An opinion piece by tech writer David Gilbert looks at how CES might be losing some of its luster. "It's hard to know who the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) really benefits. A common perception is that CES is the place where all the major technology companies launch their latest and greatest gadgets. But this is simply not the case. Let's look at 2012 as an example. Last year's most talked about consumer technology products (in no particular order) were: the iPhone 5, iPad 3, iPad mini, Microsoft Surface, Samsung Galaxy S3, Google Nexus 7, Amazon Kindle Fire HD and the Wii U. How many were launched at CES 2012? None."
The journo in the article is saying that CES is failing because companies no longer use it to launch their latest iteration of gadget. Instead, it's being used to showcase their pie-in-the-sky aspirations. It's becoming less a PR mouthpiece, and more a tech demo for cool, but not production-ready, tech.
In my opinion, that can only be a good thing.
Just because you're paranoid doesn't mean there isn't an invisible demon about to eat your face
An article that automatically plays two videos, one with full audio, upon being loaded? Such actions should preclude such articles from being posted.
Won't somebody please think of the bandwidth?!
Same with technology. It's a faceless world-wide empire of giant companies, no one cares except the people directly involved in creating the things. We just shop online, say "ohh shiny" and buy whatever.
Stuff is also a lot cheaper so there's less risk in buying things on sight alone. Back when an empty motherboard cost thousands of dollars, it made sense to spend time and money to check things out in person. Not anymore.
The only thing that can change that equation is booth babes.
Where is Ceren Ercen these days anyhow?
Mostly random stuff.
Also, lot if not all of those announcements were done by big companies doing their own, exclusive events, focused mostly single products, very awaited and with long enough preannoucements campaigns, usually not meant for shared space/attention with other companies.
Fairly well known musicians play at music festivals, where they can be one of many drawing people to go there. Superstars hold a concert and fill a stadium all by themselves. Why launch at CES if you're big enough to get all the attention you want on your own without sharing the spotlight?
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2013 is the first year Microsoft has missed CES since 1995. In fact, either Bill Gates or Steve Ballmer usually delivers the CES keynote. This year, no booth, no Surface, no Windows 8, no Windows Phone, no Xbox, nada.
2013 also marks the shift in scheduling: AEE (Adult Entertainment Expo, the industry convention for porn stars) is now being held the week *after* CES, instead of *the same week* on the Vegas strip (which used to give both presenters and attendees extra incentive to book a trip to CES).
Coincidence? Ah yeah, I guess..
But when I can read previews before a product even comes out at a hundred websites, see a thousand video reviews once it comes out and basically get every single bit of information I could possibly want and a whole lot more on the internet anytime I want it, why do I need a tradeshow?
Do you work in sales, marketing or business development? I go to numerous shows per year, and they're all about the meetings that go on in the background. Discussions around sales channels, marketing, training - Pricing. Trade shows are an opportunity where eveyone is already all together, so they're a highly efficient way to get business done. You can go on one plane flight instead of 20.