It’s hard to believe that an entire year has gone by already, but here we are again at in Las Vegas at CES 2016. We are making our way through the crowds and seeing what’s in store for the future.
With this being the first year PMA is not connected to CES, it is really a watershed occurrence. This will be the first official “non-PMA” year in quite a while. In a lot of ways that changes things. But we’ve all seen it coming and our industry remains an integral part of the consumer electronics landscape.
It’s now up to us to make the connections that used to be handed to us. Certainly CES 2016 represents some of the finest brands in our industry. They include Canon, Nikon, Sony, Panasonic, Samsung, Ricoh Imaging and GoPro. But it is no longer packed with every single imaging company.
In addition, many of the major manufacturers are no longer exhibiting on the CES 2016 show floor. So while the photo connections are not as obvious, many new brands are emerging. Furthermore, they bring a refined message about how imaging and photography integrate into the new world order.
Life seems to have changed for a few of us who have been around a while, but it’s no less exciting. My conversation with Neal Manowitz from Sony (Strategy Session: Sony—One Size Doesn’t Fit All) certainly highlights the fact that his company is on a hot streak—and the number of people buying products that capture images is well over one billion, leading to a continued renaissance of the hobby of photography.
Yes, the hobby has changed. It’s not just the domain of enthusiasts taking close-ups of bugs and flowers or landscape dreamers, although there are plenty of those left! But it’s now filled with amateur videographers strapping action cameras to their helmets. And it’s also families where every member over 12 years old is ready to take a picture at any time. With this multitude of image makers comes new opportunities to capture their hearts and minds with better images.
No, this is not an imaging trade show. It’s much more than that. And it’s up to us to make the connections that will fuel our business over the coming years with new ideas and breakthrough products.
Steve Jobs said it best: “Think different.”
