Top Trends We Learned at CES
CES, or the Consumer Electronics Show, is a barometer for tech's future. Each year, the frontrunners of new technology gather to show off what's coming next, and each year, it's like getting a peek into a crystal ball.
As you might imagine, these trends are impactful for many of our clients, so we sent Social Media Manager Allison Stiel out to report back, and here's what she saw.
A.I. – Artificial Intelligence
One of the biggest topics today is artificial intelligence, specifically machine learning. Everyone and their grandma has a virtual assistant (no, seriously), and the push to automate tasks for convenience has never been stronger. Amazon and Google are leading the pack but expect competitors to spring up in such a broad field.
As virtual assistants grow in sophistication and usefulness, look to see them involved practically everywhere, from your calendar to your refrigerator. The Internet of Things is still generally expensive and not integrated, but as time goes on, your virtual assistant will likely be communicating with all of your devices to make them smarter and more efficient.
5G
5G is also a huge topic of conversation. Often described as a "cloud of connectivity," 5G is the next wave of wireless network technology, which is expected to fuel the increasing prevalence of the Internet of Things, as well as smart cities and cars.
It's anticipated that 5G will be up to 5 times faster than the current standard, 4G, and the largest benefit to that might come in the form of increased reliability for the average consumer. Additionally, it's possible that we'll be rid of the dreaded wires tethering cable to our routers once and for all, going entirely wireless.
Healthcare
Another prime topic this year was health technology. Aging Baby Boomers have driven a lot of investment into the field, and tech companies see the opportunity to capitalize on an obsession with optimizing what we eat, how we sleep, and of course, how we work out.
One of the strongest platforms for health tech is wearables. What began with the craze for counting steps or heartrate has expanded to improving sleep, measuring skin health, and mouth guards for athletes that detect concussions.
Integration
The common thread running through all of these topics is interconnectedness. The largest theme at CES, and likely the focus of tech for the foreseeable future, is making life more efficient by connecting everything important together.
The ability to control devices and appliances remotely, or leave control up to the device itself, appears to be the future of tech, and while a lot of what's shown at CES is not quite ready for market yet, it's coming. We'll be ready.
Allison Stiel sitting on her throne of guitars at Gibson's activation.
