As is always the case, lots of product news, trends, projections and yes, plenty of sore feet emerged from this year's CES. But perhaps, more important than all of that was the fact the show appeared to get its swagger back.
The early report on CES 2010 attendance figures paint a very positive picture for the first major consumer electronics/imaging show of the year. Organizers tell us the show drew 120,000 industry professionals, a jump of nearly 7,000 over last year's figures. That's according to preliminary figures released just after the show closed early last month by the Consumer Electronics Association, which also said that the show featured 20,000 new products from 2,500 companies that exhibited.
While those numbers are certainly encouraging, the show also had a much more positive energy evident throughout the LVCC as both exhibitors and attendees alike claimed the show represented a positive start to the business year.
“In this business climate it can really be about good energy and bad energy,” began New Jersey-based Trevor Jenkins, attending the show as a blogger interested in Web video. “The atmosphere is far more hopeful than last year and I think manufacturers and retailers are ready to get back to business in 2010.”
CEA's statistical analysts, calling 2010 a year of “rebuilding and recovery,” projected that by July—by their reckoning, the one-year anniversary of the beginning of the recession recovery—consumer technology spending would rebound to the tune of 10 percent over the same period a year earlier.
The projection was offered by chief economist Shawn DuBravac and senior research director Ben Arnold on Jan. 5, two days before the opening of the 2010 International Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas.
DuBravac asserted that not only was 3D one of the top stories at the show this year, but that it “hit all categories across the show floor. It transcended displays, into cameras, laptops, mobile devices, accessories and gaming.” The organization estimates that 4.3 million TV sets sold in 2010 will be 3D and that by 2013, over a quarter of all TVs sold will be 3D—and that nearly half those sales would be to rabid sports fans.
Connected Everywhere
Other trends to watch for from the show floor, he added, touched on connected TV and “over-the-top” services that will include new ways for consumers to discover, view and navigate content, across multiple screens in the household, being developed through new provider partnerships. One in five TVs shipped in 2010 will be Ethernet-connected, setting the stage for these developments, the research found.
“These are all very new business models,” added Arnold. “The question is, how will they evolve? How will consumers manage all these terabytes of information? And how will content discovery happen?”
DuBravac noted that the move in smartphone usage from a browser experience to accessing specific information bits—the development of the “apps environment”—would also shape product introductions throughout the year. “An emerging Tablet 2.0 market played out at CES, and it will be interesting to see what mobile TV products will show up down the road,” he said, in the supplier battle for dominance in the five-inch-to-15-inch-screen niche.
Arnold cited the changes in the consumer TV viewing experience beyond simple program-watching as a trend CEA felt was worth tracking. He said 53 percent of viewers surveyed have visited Web sites of TV shows, 42 percent have watched TV shows online and 21 percent have cast votes during reality TV programming. “It's clear that the experience doesn't end when the show ends,” he said.
While just eight percent of viewers said they watch content downloaded from the Internet on their TVs, indicators point to that number growing. “It's no longer a question of will there be Internet connections in a living room. That will be a given. The next question is, what will that connectivity bring consumers?” said DuBravac.
The Imaging Angle
From imaging circles, lots of digital camera/camcorder news emerged from the show, most of which you'll see on the pages of our PMA A.M./P.M. Show Dailies.
The trend that is emerging in the point-and-shoot market is an interesting one—more intriguing in-camera engagement options that are all ultimately aimed at helping consumers take better pictures and then encouraging them to do more with them once they do.
While this trend is certainly presenting some interesting new technology into the digital camera market, we're not so sure consumers have the kind of time on their hands manufacturers must think they do. This “engagement” and “creative expression” movement is an interesting direction, but we'd like to see more emphasis on the ability to simply take better pictures.
Not that these models don't offer that—as they most certainly do—we just think the technology may be starting to overwhelm the picture-taking public just a bit. We'll see.
Some analysts are predicting another slow year in the digital camera category, though not as bad as the nine percent decline seen this past year. While IDC is predicting a seven percent drop in business, NPD Group was a bit more optimistic predicting that HD video capture and overall new feature sets will help lift the market.
That being said, it wasn't all about the cameras at CES as storage, memory and, but of course, video capture made big news as well.
As you'll see in our PMA Dailies we'll delve into the new product parade, looking at both items released at CES as well as those tabbed for PMA. Let's hope some of that renewed energy we felt at CES is evident at this year's PMA.
