San Francisco It could have been the first major trade fair since the beginning of the pandemic. But the rapidly increasing numbers of infections in the USA have at least partially thwarted the organizers of the “Consumer Electronics Show” (CES) in Las Vegas for the second time in a row. At the last minute, important exhibitors such as Google, Microsoft, Meta and Amazon canceled their personal participation.
Nevertheless, according to the organizing industry association Consumer Technology Association (CTA), up to 75,000 visitors are expected. Under 2G-plus conditions, around 2,200 companies from all over the world will present the most important technology and digitization trends of the year from Wednesday to Friday.
For the US tech industry, the CES is not just a showcase, it also marks the end of an extremely successful year. While numerous economic sectors suffered from the ongoing pandemic and the resulting upheavals in the supply chains, many technology companies continued to write record profits.
In 2021, sales in the industry grew by 9.6 percent to around 491 billion US dollars. For the current year, the CTA expects slower momentum, but still with growth of 2.8 percent. That would translate into record sales of $ 505 billion, with the strongest growth expected in VR glasses (66 percent) and fitness and health devices (17 percent).
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“The pandemic has pushed users to try new technologies that make life healthier, easier and more convenient,” said CTA boss Gary Shapiro at a pre-press conference on Monday. “We expect another year of growth based on the enormous demand that we are currently seeing for technology products and services.”
“We expect another year of growth.”
(Photo: imago images / MediaPunch)
Many of these technologies can also be seen at the trade fair. The spectrum shown ranges from AI software and smart home products to technologies for autonomous driving, for example – and therefore, in addition to the classic US tech sector, is now also attracting many traditional industries such as car manufacturers and machine builders, which are an ever increasing proportion of them Digitize products with the help of electronic components.
The agricultural machinery manufacturer John Deere, for example, presented the world’s first fully autonomous tractor at a press conference prior to the trade fair. The chip manufacturer Qualcomm presented a complete system that should make it easier for car manufacturers to switch to semi-autonomous driving. The industrial group Bosch also advertises its sensor systems – which can be used in medicine, for example, but also in smart home appliances.
In between there are also numerous manufacturers of classic entertainment electronics – smartphones, televisions and fitness equipment. These are the three most important trends at the fair:
Metaverse
If Cristiano Amon is to explain what the metaverse everyone is talking about, then the manager of the chip manufacturer Qualcomm only needs one sentence at the pre-press conference: “Everything and everyone gets a digital twin.” He sees immense opportunities in this for his company .
Qualcomm manufactures chips that are mainly used in mobile applications such as smartphones or tablets. Such mobile devices are essential for the metaverse, which ultimately means an extension of physical reality to include a virtual variant. Ultimately, you need powerful VR glasses and headsets to enter the Metaverse.
On the other hand, software developers like Microsoft are working on developing the first use cases for VR technologies. One example is the communication platform Mesh, which is intended to enable various business applications in the Metaverse. The Meta group formerly known as Facebook also wants to invest heavily in the expansion of its VR platform.
Autonomous driving
Alongside tech companies, automakers are probably the most eye-catching exhibitors at CES. Numerous premium brands are represented at the electronics fair – the subject of mobility has become noticeably more important with electrification and increasing automation of driving.
The tech industry is also adapting to this and this year is showing various products that are intended to significantly shorten the path to autonomous vehicles in road traffic.
The agricultural machinery manufacturer presented the world’s first fully autonomous tractor at CES.
(Photo: Bloomberg)
One example of this is the Intel subsidiary Mobileye from Israel, which develops camera-based driver assistance systems. In an interview with Volkswagen boss Herbert Diess, Mobileye CEO Amnon Shashua announced that he would like to work more closely with the car manufacturer in the future. The aim is to exchange data in order to improve VW’s driver assistance systems.
Qualcomm also sees potential business in autonomous driving. To make it easier for car manufacturers to use visual sensor systems, the group has developed a complete system called “Snapdragon Ride” that covers all hardware and software components required for semi-autonomous driving. The system should be available from 2024.
MicroLED
Cars and the Metaverse may attract a lot of attention. But the classic television is also evolving.
The Korean rival Samsung, LG, announced at a press conference that it will increasingly use MicroLED technology for its TV displays. Samsung also uses its own variant of MicroLED. It is considered the successor to the currently widespread OLED displays.
The Korean electronics manufacturer has presented various products – in addition to a new television set, for example, an air purifier.
(Photo: Bloomberg)
With MicroLED, the screens should become sharper and more realistic, but above all larger. For example, LG presented a television with a screen diagonal of 136 inches – that is just under 3.5 meters. Competitor Samsung has also been offering a giant TV in various sizes with the model “The Wall” for some time – for a five-digit euro amount.
More: Tech companies soaring: the dominance of the US giants is getting bigger and bigger