Every time I come back from a tech conference I'm asked, "what was the most impressive thing you saw?" Traveling to CES in Vegas this year, I kept that question in mind as I walked the enormous floor (nearly 2,500 exhibitors). As a mobile app evangelist I had a list of gadgets and technology that I wanted to see, but what really matters most are what consumers are interested in. After the 20th TV screen -- 3-D or not -- you really begin to glaze over. And that's just one sector of tech. Don't even get me started on tablets! As a friend noted, there will be enough useless tablets to pave the entire city of Las Vegas by next year.
So rather than focusing on innovative devices and breakthrough equipment, I think it's more helpful to stand back and assess how well the industry is serving the consumer -- ultimately they will determine the success or failure of a product or new trend. Coming into the conference I asked a few friends what they were most interested in seeing at CES. Most of them had a version of the same statement: 'We want to see products that enhance the user experience, whether entertainment or productivity, but are also durable and easy to use and learn.'
Consumers want us to make their lives easier and more enjoyable. It seems simple enough.
So did I see products that met these criteria? The answer is, yes and no. More robust netbooks that also converted to tablets were impressive and useful. One that stood out was the Dell Inspiron duo. A company that took the show for me was once again LG. Their 3D TVs only needed one set of glasses for any set. Also, secondary products for iDevices seemed to have settled out. Last year was almost comical with every iAddon you would never need. Overall the bad side of CES is still the hundreds of products that just create waste, frustration and empty pockets.
So in joining others, I again warn the consumer this year to be mindful of getting what you pay for (here's a great CNET article on avoiding cheap Android tablets). For eaxample, cheap tablets will not give you what a $500 tablet will. Ask around and research before you buy.
To the industry: simply please stop flooding the market with crap. Spend the extra effort in developing innovative products that make our lives both more enjoyable and productive. Yes, be mindful of cost, but stop creating a glut of longtail fodder.
Beyond the hardware, I think the availability of apps across platforms actually becoming reality is the greatest development I saw at CES. For too long developers have had to rely on one or the other platform to deliver their apps to the public. Gated markets like Apple's App Store have limited both developer community growth and longevity. Worst of all it has limited consumer access for the greater part of the world. The question up till now has been, why do we need all these app stores. This year at CES this was not the question. Instead the developers are asking how do we get on the stores and the consumers are just downloading.
If you were at CES, please chime in. Due to the mammoth size of the show, I missed several industry sectors. I wished I had more time to see the developments in video and photo technology, so please chime in.