Highlights of CES - as discussed on CNN

The Consumer Electronics Show took place Tuesday through Friday last week in Las Vegas.  The displays totaled 35 football fields full of thousands of companies, buyers and press.
 
Every year at CES has a theme, and  past notables have been 3D technology and Tablets.  This year focused on a few themes two include: Thin and Connectivity.  Here is what we discussed on CNN.

1.) Thin
People want thinner, smaller and more power.  A perfect example of this are the new “Ultrabooks”.  Get used to hearing this word a lot in 2012.

Ultrabooks are taking cues from the MacBook Air.  They are less than 0.8” thick, under 3 lbs. and around 1k.   Intel estimates that by the end of 2012, 40% of consumer laptops will be Ultrabooks.   A number of companies, from Acer to Dell, unveiled new Ultrabooks at CES.

Also, razor thin but more important, is the sheer size and dynamic picture quality of the 55” OLED TVs from Samsung and LG.  They drew a crowd and were blowing everyone’s minds.  These devices will be shipping worldwide later this year, and they are gaining a lot of buzz.

2.) Connected Devices
It’s all about better device connectivity.  We’ve seen this alot in past CES years with home electronics and it was kind of a snoozefest.  But this year was larger and more interesting than ever on smart devices, specifically smart appliances.  Smarter TVs, smarter washer and dryers, and floor cleaning robots with cameras to view when you are away from home.  Probably one of the most buzzed about products was the next generation LG second generation smart fridge.   By scanning the barcode on food or a receipt from the grocery store, the refrigerator knows its own contents and monitors their freshness. Users can scan product barcodes or receipts and the fridge will monitor freshness and even make meal suggestions.  It also has a blast chiller – a compartment that will chill anything in 8 minutes.
 
And interestingly, Apple never makes an appearance at CES but many say they steal the show.
First, on the product side, every company wants to ride the Apple coat tails. The show floor was full of “iProducts” from practical to ridiculous –iPhone docks, to apps, to a baby scale that tweets your child’s weight daily.  Second, on the final day of the show, many were talking about how iPhone 4S sales were halted in China due to near-riots in the city.
 
And seguing to Apple, Apple also made an announcement the week of the show that they will be holding a media event in NYC next week.
The invite is focused on education and speculation points to a move in the digital textbook area.  They typically hold only a few media invites a year mostly centered on with product announcements, so it will be interesting to see what they have in store.