CES is now all finished, and it has been an exciting week with many new products announced. Though I don’t really think there are any that particularly stand out to me as a game changer, so instead I’m gonna write a bit about the trends at CES and my thoughts on them.
3D
3D was a huge trend at CES, with 3D televisions shown off left, right and centre. Many companies are hoping this is another reason for you to buy a big, expensive TV; though is it worth it? If anybody has seen Avatar in 3d, then surely you can see the benefits, it offers an incredibly immersive experience. So I think I would definitely watch the occasional film in 3D, glasses and all, though personally I don’t see the point in watching TV in 3D. In my opinion, I see 3D as more of a novelty, and while I’m all for novelty I don’t see us all wearing 3D glasses every time we sit down to watch TV. Though best of luck convincing the masses Sony and crew!
e-Readers
Another huge trend at CES was e-Readers, though I still wonder if there is a real reason why anybody would need an e-Reader. Personally, I’ve never felt the need to carry around hundreds of books, since I only read one at a time. I’m dubious that there is going to be an explosion in e-Reader sales as many predict in 2010, but hey a year is a long time!
Slates/Tablets
A few Apple rumours and the industry goes crazy. As you most likely know rumours of an Apple iSlate are at an all time high, and it seems other companies have been paying attention. Lots of tablets have been announced at CES, most of which are running Windows 7 with it’s newly built in touch functionality. Though personally, I think a new interface is required for any of these devices to really take off, and whether anybody would pay a premium for a Slate, when they could just get a netbook (which probably has more functionality anyway)?
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So lots of interesting trends at CES, many of which seem to be companies trying to convince us of products that we need. It’ll be interesting to see how these develop on the next year. CES 2011 here we come!