What is spread over 2.4 million square feet, in anticipation of 180,000 plus visitors? What is the one place that will house everyone who matters in the tech industry under one roof, on the same days in January? Where in the world will high-end technology, oodles of money and endless entertainment co-exist and flourish for 4 straight days? The answer is – CES 2016! Yes, the much awaited, much talked about and much loved, Consumer Electronics Show is back for the 49th time. The biggest technology showcase in the world will come to life at Las Vegas, Nevada from Jan 6-9. This may be the only time where the saying, “What happens in Vegas, stays in Vegas” does not apply. CES is not just an exhibition of future devices & products, but it is a stage which sets the trends in technology for the next few years. Every year CES provides valuable insights into the workings of the tech industry and trends are set in stone once a particular technology manages to impress the right number of people. So, before the rollercoaster ride of CES 2016 begins and before we all lose ourselves in the flurry of new and exciting product launches, let’s take stock of the situation, so we all know what to watch out for when the show begins. Here are the key trends that we expect at CES 2016. They will be big and they will definitely keep the tech world on its toes.
See it in VR
PlayStation VR
Virtual Reality is, and for some time has been, a work in progress. In 2015, we saw many small players enter the VR industry with headsets for smartphones, but real world, useful consumer grade VR is still under the wraps. Good news is that this might change at the mecca of technology events, CES 2016. You can expect Oculus to finally divulge some details about the official consumer launch of the Rift. They might just do it right there and then at the show floor. Sony is also expected to show off the PlayStation VR headset at CES this year. Imagine a 100 degree field of view and a vast 3D space in front of your eyes, which is actually a game. Well, that’s Sony’s PS VR headset for you. The Biggest announcement in VR though, is expected from HTC, which delayed the launch of its Vive headset citing that a “big breakthrough” had happened. This “big breakthrough” is exactly what we are waiting to hear all about when CES 2016 begins. This is the year for Virtual Reality companies to show consumers that VR is not just some fantastical technology, out of one’s reach, but that it is truly as exciting as promised.
Change the view with AR
Tech that superimposes a computer-generated image in the user's real world, is exactly what Augmented Reality is. This year we saw tiny men fight on a desk in an AR demo, we played basketball with a McDonald's fries box for a basket, and we also saw Star Wars come to a Galaxy near us, thanks to AR. The Augmented reality space saw a healthy growth in 2015 and continuing its streak, the technology is expected to turn some heads at CES 2016. Watch out for an interesting session on the future of AR by Neil Trevett, VP of Mobile Ecosystem, NVIDIA and Christopher Stapleton, VP and Co-Founder, Virtual World Society
Take a smart ride
Faraday Future
CES 2015 was notoriously referred to, not as the ‘Consumer Electronic Show’, but the ‘Car Electronic Show’. This is because from Ford to Mercedes to Audi to Volvo, everyone had a car to flaunt and amaze audiences at the CES show floor. Driverless cars a-plenty, the auto industry is the next big driver of innovation and this year things are going to get bigger, better and smarter. With a 25% increase in exhibit space this time around, the auto tech industry will spread its goodies over 200,000 square feet of space. Lots of cool announcements are awaited including BMW’s gesture based interface, QNX’s car platform, smart cars from Mercedes, Kia, Audi, Volvo and more. You will also get to witness the Faraday Future, which is said to be a direct competitor for Tesla. Volkswagen is also expected to introduce an electric car at the event. Apart from launches, the Top 3 topics on Auto tech at CES 2016 are going to be- The future for self-driving cars, How phone-car connectivity is enhancing the use of apps, Which automotive UI has the best chance for market success? What do you think?
Drop the clothes, wear the gadgets
Wearables is one category that shot up like an arrow post its humble beginnings. Every major tech company has either a fitness band or a smartwatch in the market. But, wearables is a much more vast and complex category. At CES 2016, expect a strong show from the wearables sector. With 82 exhibits dedicated to smart wearables, there will definitely be more gadgets to wear than clothes. Then again, anything can happen in Vegas! Expect a to see a lot of motion sensing tech from companies like Kiwi software. Samsung is also planning a party at the wearables section, with three new products out of its secret lab called C-Lab or Creative Lab. So, Samsung will give you Welt- a smart fitness belt which takes care of your eating habits, Rink- a hand motion controller for games and lastly, a smart watch strap which will give you the ability to take calls, hear music by putting just your finger to your ear. Excited yet?
Converse with your gadgets
Possibly the most popular consumer use case of Internet of Things right now is Smart Homes. Last year CES gave us the smart Magic Mirror by Panasonic, a robotic bartender and of course, the ability to play Tony Stark and have your house do things for you, rather than the other way around. With a huge expanse of 155 exhibitors in the Smart Homes category, expect to see unified IoT platforms, Operating Systems for IoT devices and a less scattered IoT ecosystem at CES 2016.
So, that was the round-up of all technology trends we expect to witness at the grand Consumer Electronic Show 2016. Digit will keep getting you all the news from the gala event. Till then, keep watching our homepage for the latest updates.