I am just back from attending the 2013 Consumer Electronics show in Las Vegas where I was meeting with customers and visiting the massive show floor. CES is an intriguing blend of extremes and contrasts: biggest and the smallest; connected and unconnected; wired and wireless; high tech – low tech. As personal and business technologies converge through the “consumerization of technology,” CES provides an exciting window into the current and future world of technology.
The following are my personal observations and extrapolations from the show based on my conversations with customers, colleagues and walking the floor.
New Next Generation TV Again – You could be mistaken for thinking that CES is really the TV show. Televisions are everywhere and every company seems to produce one. Manufacturers are still selling 3D television, but it has taken a back seat to the next big thing -- bigger and thinner new OLED sets and specular ultra-high definition screens.
Connected Home – CE companies continue to try to connect all of our home devices. But now appliances are getting in on the act. There were lots of examples of connected refrigerators and washing machines. Now you can even control how your clothes are washed from the comfort of your couch with your smartphone or even on your TV.
Content Sharing and Mirroring – At last, Read More »
It’s more difficult than ever for retailers to stand out from their competition. The reason: Internet-based transparency, next-day supply chains, rapid product replication, and low barriers to market entry are rapidly increasing commoditization and driving down per-unit revenues across the retail industry.
As a result, margins tighten, private-label products proliferate, brand loyalty withers, and, inevitably, industry sectors go through a process of brand consolidation. And while consumer electronics (CE) retailers are currently in the “commoditization crosshairs,” almost all retail segments have gone through the process of brand consolidation.
To help retailers overcome these challenges, the Cisco® Internet Business Solutions Group (IBSG) conducted research to study the strategic options available to CE retailers.
We were ecstatic to have the opportunity to bring our magician, Jeff, LIVE over Cisco ūmi from Santa Monica to the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas so he could show off his magic tricks. Crowds of people huddled around to get on camera and show off their Exhibitor passes so that Jeff could have the opportunity to personalize their ”magical” experience with ūmi for the first time.
It was amazing to see the reaction on people’s faces as soon as they saw ūmi. Many of them thought that we were playing a video of magic tricks on our HD Television, until Jeff would comment on what folks were wearing or would take a photo of the crowd at CES who were anxiously waiting to see what Jeff had in store for them.
Check out the reaction of one of the exhibitor’s at CES 2011 as he experienced his first a ūmi magic trick experience from over 300 miles away.
I spent yesterday at the Las Vegas Convention Center checking out all of the coolest products at CES 2011. The booths and displays were extraordinary-- it was a truly unique experience to spend time with the hottest consumer electronics companies all together. Here is a brief look at the goings-on at the convention center:
We have much more content to come, including our TOP 5 product picks at CES 2011, so stay tuned!
