CES is a magical time of the year with new devices, startups, and new trends for 2016. CES 2015 brought the start of the 4K revolution, drone dominance, and the dark hole of wearables. While the conference brings together the largest and smallest technology companies, the trends don’t always become a full-fledged market category. We saw 3D TV’s become a big part of 2014 CES, but we all know the TV’s were too expensive and the content wasn’t there. 2016 is always showing some key trends, all of which have grown through 2015. The smart home is going to become more connected, and smarter with more startups working on connecting all the devices together. Drones are going to take a large space in the conference, but they’re going to focus more on consumers along with being easier to fly and keep up. Lastly VR is going to have a lot of exhibitors and journalist talking about how it’s going to shape the future.
Everything wearable
First let’s talk about where wearables have gone too. They’re still going to take a front row in this year’s conference, but the companies working on them are going to focus on different features and designs. Companies from Fitbit to startups are going to focus on making their wearables more fashionable as fashion conscious consumers start looking for these wearables. The companies are also going to focus more time on making these wearables less fitness focused and more appealing to the everyday user with notifications and smarter breakdown of information. The 4K revolution is still happening, but it’s going to be subtle and less glamorous than last year. The tv panels are going to come down in price, and hopefully be at a price consumers would buy 4K over an HD tv. The second biggest part of the revolution is more tv shows, movies, and videos are going to be available in 4K. Netflix has led the charge for 4K content with offering House of Cards and a few other shows in 4K. Lastly drones. These flying computers are going to take a roll front and center again this year.
Drones grow up
Last year drones were in their infancy. The companies producing drones were still figuring out who wanted to use their device, how much they would spend, and the best way to attach cameras. Now drones from DJI are easy to fly, and in fact most of their drones practically fly themselves. Many drones also come with cameras pre-installed. A stark difference from last year, when many companies sold gimbals to attach GoPro’s. The shift of drone makers to also producing their own cameras has made GoPro shift towards development of their own drone. A GoPro developed and made drone will likely follow the industry trend of making them smarter, easier to fly, and cheaper. Instead of consumers spend $700 plus to buy a drone, they could likely spend $400 starting out. The change will make drones more prominent, and cause more headaches for regulators wanting to keep drones out of restricted air spaces like airports.
The smart home gets, well, smarter
The smart home or connected home is already becoming a trend with Nest, Wink, and even Apple leading the charge. These smart devices include lights, thermostats, toasters, and everything in-between. The problem with these devices is they’re all controlled by different apps. Apple’s Homekit or Google’s Brillo platforms have tried to bring them together but they’ve struggled to get developers all on the same platforms. At CES we will see a lot of software makers try to bridge the gap between all these devices, and make them smart instead of just being connected. We’ll also see a lot more connected devices try to learn and understand the data it collects to better serve you and your home.
Consumer VR is here
And finally is Virtual Reality at CES. VR has taken off since the launch of Oculus, and Facebook bought the company. Now Google Cardboard allows anyone to give VR a try with a piece of cardboard and just about any phone. Most recently Samsung introduced the Gear VR which lets users give VR a try on cheap especially if you already have a Samsung device. The VR headsets at CES won’t be as cheap as those examples, but they’ll have better graphics and try to grapple with problems VR has already. Some of the problems include how to control the games or how they’ll prevent headaches or vertigo. Oculus said they’d have a consumer version in early 2017, but that device will likely be expensive and must a beefed up computer.
Wrap up
CES 2016 is around the corner, and everyone is surely excited to see what’s going to happen. We’ll have full coverage from the show floor, to around the convention, to all the press conferences in Las Vegas, Nevada. The press conferences start early morning Tuesday Jan 6, 2015. Follow us on Twitter, Snapchat, Facebook, and Instagram for all the behind the scenes pictures and videos. And check back after the conference to see if we hit the ball out of the park with the predictions of CES 2016 trends.