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Wednesday, January 4, 2023
CES 2023 officially kicks off tomorrow. Here is what we hope to see.
The new year has officially begun, and that means crowded gyms, about a week of dieting — at least in my case — and the most important tech show of the year: CES. The show, which will officially begin in Las Vegas on Thursday, lays the groundwork for a variety of gadgets and gadgets that will fall into the hands of consumers in 2023.
In previous years, companies have showcased everything from concept cars to virtual reality (VR) headsets and powerful new processors, and 2023 is shaping up to deliver even more progress. This year also marks a sort of return to normalcy for the big show, as visitors from around the world once again descend upon the bright lights of the Las Vegas Strip after two years of COVID lockdown.
So what kind of hardware can you expect to come out of CES 2023? Continue reading.
Electric vehicles and automobile technology
It’s been said before, but it’s worth repeating: CES may be the biggest tech show of the year, but it’s also a car show in every sense. The Las Vegas Convention Center’s West Hall will feature 300 automotive exhibitors showcasing their latest and greatest vehicles and technologies. Two of the biggest names on hand will be BMW and Stellantis (STLA).
BMW president Oliver Zipse will deliver a keynote before the show. And the company itself is expected to unveil its latest concept car and the mysterious “Dee character” that the automaker will call its latest proprietary in-car AI platform.
Meanwhile, Stellantis CEO Carlos Tevaras will tell us about the company’s Ram 1500 Revolution Battery Electric Vehicle Concept and Peugeot Inception Concept.
And then there’s Sony (SONY) and Honda (HMC), who are expected to give us an update on their joint EV efforts. The Japanese giants teamed up to form Sony Honda Mobility, Inc. earlier this year, and CES could prove to be the perfect place for them to showcase their vehicles to the masses.
Yet that is not all. CES usually offers a look at any number of transportation technologies, be it flying taxis or electric watercraft, and we’ll likely see more of both at this year’s show.
And if you’re looking for some crazy subwoofers and in-car audio accessories, CES is for you. Be sure to bring a few earplugs to avoid ringing in your ears for the rest of the show.
AR/VR and metaverse
Facebook changed its name to Meta (META) to highlight its focus on the industry in 2021, and Apple (APPL) is expected to launch its first headset later this year. So it makes sense for technology to be front and center at CES 2023.
According to my inbox, companies from around the world are heading to Las Vegas to take a look at how they think the meta universe should evolve. (Apparently I can’t go an hour without a bunch of new metaverses or AR/VR pitches.)
Currently, Meta’s Quest 2 and its high-end Quest Pro are getting all the attention in the AR/VR industry. However, HTC, which currently offers three headset families on the market, is preparing to showcase new hardware that will probably compete directly with Meta Quest 2.
The AR/VR industry is still in its infancy, especially in terms of consumer acceptance, so it will be interesting to see how HTC’s headset will fare at the show.
Smart home technology is getting smarter
Every CES brings us a host of new smart home devices, from smart showers, lights and door locks to Amazon’s Alexa built-in toilets. (Yes, you can talk to your toilet.) A wide array of smart home devices this year, the big change is that they should finally start working together.
This is because manufacturers will start releasing products that comply with a new smart home standard called Matter. To date, the smart home market has been somewhat of the Wild West. When you buy a smart home device, you need to make sure it works well with your existing devices. If not, you may find yourself having to control various smart home products through a number of different apps and voice assistants. Everything is pretty annoying.
But the article aims to change that by offering a single standard that all smart home device manufacturers adhere to. So far Google (GOOG, GOOGL), Apple (AAPL), Amazon (AMZN) and Samsung are onboard, so if a gadget is Matter compatible, you can use it through the apps of these companies. Expect various smart home product manufacturers to launch Matter-specific devices at CES 2023.
New computers powered by new chips
The PC and chip markets took a hit in 2022 as the consumer who bought the unit at the start of the epidemic needed to buy new computers. However, that doesn’t mean that chip and computer manufacturers are holding off on CES 2023.
Intel (INTC) and Nvidia (NVDA) showcased their chips at Vegas that bring more power and performance to both consumer and business products, and AMD (AMD) is poised to do the same. Of course, this also means that we will see new laptops and desktops from manufacturers from ASUS and Acer to HP, Dell and Lenovo.
Gaming systems are always a hot option at CES, as manufacturers can count on gamers to upgrade their systems sooner than the average consumer. In other words, expect to see a healthy dose of illuminated keyboards and stylish designs at this year’s show.
Televisions as far as the eye can see
This year, I will be covering CES for the 11th time. I personally went 9 times in 2021 and 2022 and watched from afar. I’ll admit, I’m tired of walking around the venue for hours and commuting between the convention center and the hotel. But the one thing I still love about the show is seeing all the new TVs.
Over the years I’ve seen a number of new television technologies come and go. For example, 3D TV was a failure; others have proven incredibly useful, such as high dynamic range. You can expect to hear more about 8K TVs at this year’s CES, which is totally unnecessary unless you buy a massive panel, think more than 70 inches, or a gamer who needs faster screen refresh rates. Or have a lot of money to burn.
As soon as the price drops to a more reasonable $80,000, I hope to get a better look at newer display technologies like microLED that will power the future of TVs. Then there are slick new designs like LG’s foldable TV. And it wouldn’t be CES without a company like Vizio or Hisense launching a new high-end TV at a discounted price.
Now if only there was an easy way to kidnap one of those bad boys without getting caught.
By daniel howley, technology editor at Yahoo Finance. follow him @DanielHowley
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