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Issue link: https://digital.macdirectory.com/i/1451520
Show Special - CES Highlights Solutions, Possible Way Forward By Andy Marken We had a major argument with ourselves this month on whether we would or wouldn’t go to CES. We had serious doubts that Gary Shapiro and the CTA (Consumer Technology Association) could really pull it off. Spoiler … we should have stayed longer. Shapiro was right when he said, “Now, this show will be a little messy, we know that. But innovation is messy.” We were able to see companies/products we wanted to see on the show floor and still take in sessions we might otherwise have missed. Even though they missed a golden opportunity, we do understand that a number of firms elected not to participate this year. However, we think it’s time to retire the phrase … out of an abundance of caution. It reminds us of the old Life Cereal Mikey commercial -- https://tinyurl.com/2p8c2cf2. But knowing we were going to an event where everyone had to have their shots and tested negative (thanks to Abbott’s free Self-Test kits), wore masks and let you know how to greet others, made the event feel … OK. There were still more than 2300 exhibitors (800+ start-ups) and the 44,000 plus attendees still had trouble taking it all in. That’s because consumer technology touches every aspect of our lives. Steve Koenig, CTA’s VP of Research, laid the groundwork for the complexity in his opening Tech Trends to Watch session discussing the big trends that are underway and a very condensed but informative look at what to expect in the sessions and on the show floor. In addition to steady growth in computer/communications technology and home entertainment, the event has become the event to show the latest in vehicles (electric/autonomous cars, bikes,