Last year’s CES in Las Vegas, Nevada, was the last time in a long time many of us would talk face-to-face, exchange invisible breath drops, wield the same germ-like gadgets, and enjoy food and drink in windowless restaurants.
Due to the ongoing pandemic, this year’s annual CES takes place in full on our computer screens. The very first fully remote staging of the consumer technology industry’s tent pole event kicks off Monday, January 11.
Experiencing CES from afar presents some obvious challenges for those of us reporting on the show. We can’t stroll through the nearly 3 million square feet of exhibition hall space or actually try out the new products on display. But we’re going to do our best to bring you our expert analysis of this year’s tech feast, based on a slew of virtual briefings and our collective decades of CES in the past. So launch Zoom, plug in your VR headsets and get ready to follow.
Let’s get small
On the plus side, if you want to attend CES this year, you don’t have to spend money on registration fees, airline tickets or accommodation. You can view all announcements and activities in your pajamas.
But there’s no question that this year’s CES has narrowed down. The Consumer Technology Association, which hosts CES, says approximately 1,800 exhibitors will be part of this year’s show. That is less than half of the 4,400 exhibitors who presented technology last year. The CTA also pointed out that, by being a fully digital event, “the show will be open to audiences around the world,” but declined to say how many people actually registered for this year’s virtual CES. Last year, an estimated 170,000 people attended in person.
Some tech companies are opting for CES this year or dripping product news on their own timelines. Amazon won’t have an official presence, although you can probably expect its Alexa voice assistant to appear in hundreds of products. Google, which recently set up massive Googley installations in Las Vegas by CESes, says it will host partner meetings, but otherwise bends out of the show. Microsoft President Brad Smith will deliver a keynote address on technology as both a weapon and a tool – a particularly relevant topic – but most of the Microsoft-related news at CES will come from PC manufacturer partners. Facebook and its Oculus division are also not participating. Instead, the company chose to tease its upcoming ‘smart glasses’ in a blog post earlier this week. And most of the focus on Facebook right now is its role in disrupting American democracy anyway.
Samsung and LG Electronics will host virtual press conferences and provide briefings on their new displays and home appliances. But it’s worth noting that Samsung will unveil its annual Galaxy phone on January 14thduring CES but not really part of CES. We will also keep a close eye on Monday’s press conferences with Intel and Sony. And some of the highlights of the keynote include talks from the chief executives of General Motors, Verizon and AMD.
Look but don’t touch
So what a new technology shall will we see almost next week? There are some exciting things happening in TV land, says Parker Hall of WIRED. The most stunning TV we’ve seen ahead of the conference is a new 110-inch MicroLED model from Samsung. (MicroLED is a relatively new display technology that uses tiny, non-organic LEDs, three per pixel, and it should provide perfect contrast.) More TV makers are also pushing 8K displays, including Samsung, LG, and Sony, as well as manufacturers of cheaper sets such as TCL and Vizio. And this may seem like a minor thing, but many new TVs will come with upgraded HDMI 2.1 ports this year, allowing the new PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X game consoles to run at their full 120 Hz potential on the screens.