Farewell 2016, It’s Been Real… And, Augmented…
It’s that time of year again!
For PR folks, preparations have been long underway. We’ve definitely got you covered on what to bring and CES PR planning, but fear not – I’m not forgetting the most exciting part. What are we going to see?!
CES 2016 brought us retro throwbacks, the continued trend of wearables, an upsurge of VR tech, smart EVERYTHING, and pioneers in lightning headphones.
Throughout this year, IoT continued to thrive, live streaming entertained us, augmented reality changed the way we saw things…honestly, what could be next! Life is really starting to feel like The Jetsons.
Wearables
Considering 2015’s wearable obsession is now two years behind, I assume this trend is on the decline, in terms of wristbands. So, what’s next? Where can I wear (or even not technically wear) something that can track something my iPhone can’t? What will it track? Perhaps CES 2017 will provide some answers.
3D
Sure, 3D has also been a popular topic for years. But, I think there’s more to be seen here. And, that’s moving away from the brightly colored art pieces (though I love them) to super realistic 3D prints and scans.
The Smart Home/IoT
Smart lights, smart blinds, smart doorbells, smart refrigerators…there’s been a ton of innovation here, but not always a ton of implementation on the consumer side. So, where do we go from here? Of course, the convenience and cool factor for smart products gets us buzzing, but how will the implementation increase? Likely by making the tech we already use smarter—think smoke detectors, CO detectors, security systems… I am interested to see what will happen here. This trend is not dead.
TVs
Everyone loves TV. Most people have them. This is an area I doubt will slow in terms of innovation. A few years back we saw the launch of 4K but as is common with many high tech items, widespread implementation has been low, namely due to lack of content at these high resolutions and price. Expect to see 4K, 8K+, and OLED launches from the major players.
Audio
Like TVs, continued innovation in audio is expected and necessary. Typical launches in Bluetooth speakers are to be expected, but expect some actually innovative launches from premium brands. Competition is hot and it’s leading to great things. More Lightning and planar magnetic launches and sweet integrations are to come.
And, of course, VR!
A huge trend last year, innovation here will no doubt continue, along with the integration of other technologies into the mix. While headsets are making their way into the world with continued improvements, we hope to see more VR content at this year’s CES.
What do you think is to come at this year’s CES? Tell us below.