Each and every year in early January, media companies, technology experts, and gadget geeks gather in the halls of the Las Vegas Convention Center. The event that brings them all together – the International Consumer Electronics Show. 2012’s gathering may be in the books, but that has not stopped attendees and observers from talking about the sights and sounds of the event. In this article, we will take a look at a few of the CES developments marketers should keep an eye on.
Android Evolution
2011 was a huge year for Google’s Android operating system, and if CES was any indication, 2012 will be an even bigger one. Android was on display in numerous devices, but only a few were lucky enough to be graced with Ice Cream Sandwich, the latest version of the platform. Android Ice Cream Sandwich was found on Samsung’s Galaxy S and Nexus tablet devices, and actually made its television debut on Lenovo’s K91 – more on that coming up. CES gave us more proof of Android’s widespread prevalence, and why it has become so important for marketers to think beyond the iPhone, iPad, and other popular Apple products.
Smart TV Technology
This year’s CES was full of booths showcasing television sets specifically designed with the digital savvy consumer in mind. However, it was the so-called “smart TVs” that stole the show in this category. Up to this point, Google has pretty much been the force leading the smart TV charge, but at CES we learned that several well known consumer electronics makers have lined up to lend a helping hand. Guests were treated to a nice collection of smart TVs, including those made by Samsung, Sony, and Lenovo, which debated its K91. These particular devices are powered by Google TV, but the rich web features of smart TV technology in general gives it the potential to create some powerful experiences. This is definitely one to track for marketers with a physical establishment.
Ultrabooks
Another hot item category at the 2012 CES was ultrabooks, a term that is copyrighted by chip maker Intel, who has been one of the biggest pushers of the concept. Ultrabooks are basically slimmer, lighter weight versions of laptop computers. Intel displayed a number of these at CES, boasting an interesting variety of units sporting hardware from manufacturers such as Asus, Hewlett Packard, and Lenovo. Ultrabooks are very similar to tablets in terms of portability, but are much closer to conventional computers in the performance department. The performance boost makes these trendy gadgets much more useful to the busy marketer.
There was a lot to take in at CES 2012, and while most of it was updates to technology we had already been introduced to previously, the final products are looking quite impressive. To close, this year’s event certainly unveiled some interesting tools marketers can use to supercharge their business.
8 comments
JasonB says:
Feb 13, 2012
The problem I see with smart Tvs is the manufactures want them to be like cell phones that you replace every two years. They don’t topically continue to upgrade and support a smart TV for more than one generation. But TVs cost 10x a cell phone. I expect my TV to last close to 10 years.
I currently have a 5 year old project and a 36inch tube TV. I can’t bring myself to purchase a HD tv when I have to pay more to the cable company (I can’t get good HD signal where I live) for the same crummy shows. When my SDTV still works.
Wahidi says:
Feb 13, 2012
I am just glad 3DTVs won’t be all the rage this year. The last few CES’s have been all about that, and it drives me crazy.
Although generally most of the new “TV” technology that comes out at CES and the other big shows seem a bit forced. Manufacturers are always trying to shoehorn in new technology into TV’s to make them compete against other, newer, forms of entertainment. So far none of it has wowed me.
BuySellWordpress says:
Feb 14, 2012
I completely agree with JasonB! I also think that smart TVs’ developers will try to do them as cell phones, but in my opinion it’s too much….
Francis Santos says:
Feb 14, 2012
In part I do agree with you JasonB, but Im also watching the market trend leaning away from generic desktop PC’s and laptops, and into tablets, and other similar devices. Before long, the need for a desktop PC in the average home will be almost nothing. A proper Television hooked up to the internet, or a tablet with keyboard and printer will be able to handle anything an average user throws at it.
Sooner or later, the internet TV, tablets, and other similar devices will overshadow the PC you know and love. And hopefully by that time, the prices will be lower, and with the added benefit of not having to own a PC, the costs will even out.
Amit says:
Feb 14, 2012
Thanks for the great post francis
Farrel says:
Feb 15, 2012
Wow, this is the first time to hear about this technology. In my opinion, I think this Smart TVs industries are very powerful in making this technologies. I will look forward to these awesome technologies. But I think lots of disadvantages in making this one. I do agree in some point about the statement of Jason.
Jim Jenks says:
Feb 17, 2012
These devices have been a long time in the making. Personally, I’m excited for them since I’ve had an Apple TV for sometime now and I watch a lot of Netflix and Hulu. Right now we have cable and internet into our homes, I can’t wait for the day those are turned into one line and we watch everything online.
Francis Santos says:
Feb 21, 2012
Jim Jenks brings up a good point. With these new devices, sooner or later cable and satellite TV will be a thing of the past. It brings me to the question of how an internet marketer will play a role in the whole scene. How will commercials and other advertisements be affected? Will we see Google TV? and if so, will SEO apply? how? This is some pretty exciting stuff to think about; at least for me.