The Las Vegas electronics show is closing its doors. A deluge of new products arriving in specialized stores for consumers eager to use new technologies in their everyday lives. There are reasons to be optimistic and to believe that this sector of new technologies perhaps represents part of the solution to the planet’s problems, in any case here are ten good reasons to love this show.
The year of better definition with complete transparency
This year at CES in Las Vegas, television screens became transparent with still exceptional image definition. Transparency, the object disappears when there is no longer an image on the screen. No more Malevich-style black square on the wall. As the years go by, this television screen fades. It has lost thickness to the point of becoming very thin. Now, like magic, it almost disappears. Is this phenomenon a reflection of what new technologies have become which discreetly insert themselves into our lives, without us realizing it, performing in complete transparency.
At LG, the television screen becomes transparent and the fridge changes color depending on your mood…
This household appliance manufacturer also presents an impressive car model.
The show of #CES2024 begin ! #THESE pic.twitter.com/B3NH46ETsp— Thomas Bourdeau (@tbourdeau) January 10, 2024
AI an essential ally for new technologies
AI seems to be cooked in all sauces at this show. Any product is offered with artificial intelligence inside, it doesn’t matter which algorithm runs. It’s always easy to mock new things, so we leaned in a little. We saw a funny little guy proposed for children aged four and over. In fact, it is ChatGPT software suitable for children. At first it seemed a little weird, and then we realized that it could be completely amazing. Saying hello and a conversation can begin for a child with an AI. And then it could be Hello (learn English) or any language. And then why not do a little math? Listen to literature or ask astronomy questions. And then we said to ourselves that maybe it’s good to be born into this world now to have extremely intelligent conversations from a very young age. AI for everyone, as Samsung says.
South Korea in force at the show
A K-pop singer (G Dragon), bosses of big big groups and a crowd of Asian visitors, South Korea came in force to CES and it’s a real demonstration. Technological power and also a vision. Another way of looking at new technologies, perhaps more eco-responsible, perhaps more logical, perhaps more efficient. Far from the bling-bling, the superficial flashiness, the noise without depth, no, that is never the meaning of the Korean proposal. It’s a K-pop energy that may seem surprising, not being in our concerns, then very quickly, we realize that it makes sense, and there you have it, South Korea is the new interlocutor for new technologies, a cultural interlocutor and intellectual.
French Tech still as strong as ever
French Tech is at the show. We saw them at Unveil where they presented their new products. This France of new technology is still as dynamic as ever. Still as united. Withings is doing remarkable work in health-related connected objects and then there are also a whole bunch of ideas, sometimes funny, sometimes surprising and perhaps also effective. Same thing at Eureka Park with this multitude of start-ups presented by region. And there, we wondered if, at an American show intended for visitors from all over the world, it was really wise to differentiate Normandy tech from Auvergne tech. In terms of gastronomy why not and again, but regarding the sector of new technologies, we sincerely do not see the nuance. And what can international visitors take away from this ranking? We should not confuse the offer of new technologies with tourism agency; to move away from a regionalism bordering on hilarious franchouillard and seek a little more performance. To review.
Increasingly efficient microprocessors
Microprocessors are behind all uses. They are what make computers much more efficient. They are what allow artificial intelligence to work ever more efficiently and to answer all questions even more easily. Microprocessors are a booming market and an ultra-competitive market. Here again, South Korea is obviously doing well with Taiwan and all the major nations are coming to look for this essential technology. We know that it’s not really about the CES that all this is negotiated. It is in the suites of large hotels that business takes place, in the calm and thoughtfulness of negotiation. “ I’ve been coming to CES for 15 years, but I’ve never been to the show », Explained to us an expert in the field.
Towards a more eco-responsible new technology sector?
Eco-responsibility in tech, we want to believe in it. And on paper, many brands try to prove it. They are doing their best to improve the situation, they say, reduce the carbon footprint, reduce consumption, recycle. Paradoxically, it is perhaps at CES that the ecological solution lies, with AI which explains to us the right path to take, with engineers who take into account the economy and nature on a global scale. Naive optimism? Not really. New technologies are not just about spending, it is also the search for better performance, and sometimes it goes in the right direction to offer a new look at the industry and the economy. Science fiction can also be benevolent. It’s up to consumers and manufacturers to draw the limits.
The ring, potential and multiple variations
This tiny ring arrived at this show five years ago. This delicate jewel seemed really gadget and this year, it will be deployed on the market. It’s a ring with microprocessors and sensors. And the applications are completely different depending on the uses. It can be used to play video games like a conductor, control software, but it is also a health sensor that collects our personal data and it can become a phone. We were completely amazed by all the uses that were proposed with this simple ring. Without doubt the accessory of the future.
Resistance of the Metaverse and augmented reality
The Metaverse and augmented reality resist. They are on many stands with goggle and helmet manufacturers. Apple announced, without being at the show, the release of its next Vision Pro headset. Augmented reality glasses improve their quality and the results are astonishing for users. The uses are multiple and we quickly understood that it was coming out of Gaming (a market that relies on these amazing immersive technologies where the performance is exceptional). These tools will also be very useful for the future of teleworking, remote meetings and simulations. A real estate agent, rather than showing the five houses spread out miles around the city, puts a headset over his client’s eyes and shows him around the five in augmented reality, it saves time , it is also a slightly better carbon footprint.
A show that takes on an “almost” dimension from before the Covid crisis
The CES seems to be recovering a little since the Covid crisis which brought it to the ground. New technologies took a hard blow at the time of this crisis, because it could seem a little futile to continue to attach themselves to electronic objects while the planetary situation and the environment were worrying. But this year, we understand that new technologies can be part of the solution to the problem. Degrowth certainly, but also fairer growth, growth in the right direction which paradoxically facilitates degrowth elsewhere. The ecological and economic proposals of major brands, but also of start-ups, being careful with your waste, recycling, being careful with your consumption, are they taking their self-examination at this show? At least, we can hope so.
Constant progress in robotics
Each robotics demonstration, year after year, demonstrates that the future is here. Pet, robot in the kitchen, personal assistant, for industry, the variations are immense and the feats constant.