CES 2012 Predictions

Well, last year we were pretty spot on with our predictions. So let's see if we can do it again this year.

While this year is going to be back to the old days of hype and attendance (should be a record crowd) there will not be any new ground-breaking technology introduced. Mostly improvements on what we already know.

• Tablets will continue to be a big theme. Except you will see lots of names you have never heard of trying to break into the space.
• Tablet accessories will dominate. Lots of people trying to get into the game with their ideas of stands, cases, protection etc
• Waterproof phones. Not sure the pratcial application of this except that my 16 month old daughter (who has had an iPad since she was 4 months old) will probably drop hers in the toilet soon. So, have to watch for that.
• Last year, we predicted that 3D without glasses would be shown and there were. But the images were not solid. This year we should see lots of improvement.  

So why not many breakthrough ideas? Well, for the most part the industry is in the infant stages of transforming into a device-driven word versus a fully functioning laptop or TV world. iCloud is just the beginning of what is to come.

The devices in our hands, in our homes, in our cars will merely be portals - screens to display the data and content streaming from somehwere in the cloud. Cloud is not too sexy and not something we will see lots of at CES since it is not something the consumer will hold in their hands.But it is definitely something they will interact with. iCloud has already reached record numbers. And Google and Microsoft will not take this lying down - they will respond.

Windows 8 is planned to be an operating system that is androgynous to the device. In other words, mobile version and PC version are the same. We spoke last year of the coming age where the line between app driven operating systems and software driven operating systems would begin to blur. We still see the day when Microsoft Word is not longer a software package, but an app that you use. Let's face it, 90% of what we do with Word could be done from an app.

So, what will CES become in the future? Look for an "App Section" in 2013.