CES2016: Last minute thoughts

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The blog team’s packing up for a trip out to Las Vegas starting Tuesday, and we’ll be there giving you the perspective that the big guys can’t. There’s no way our little team will be able to bring you the kind of coverage you’ll get from Engadget, and we know that. We won’t be bringing millennial staffers or a bus or setting up a stage. We’ll just be there, on the floor, just like you would be.

The big gamble this year, as I said, is that show organizers are trying to get things down to manageable size without losing the excitement. Charging admission and tightening up the kind of people who can attend mean that the show will be smaller. How much smaller? I’m guessing about 25% of the people who made the trek last year won’t be coming this year. And I say that’s just fine. It just means a little more breathing room for those of us who really ought to be there.

Every year I do the “They should have bought the smaller booth” awards and this year I’m thinking of adding the “they just didn’t get it” awards. This would automatically go to anyone showing a 3D TV and right now the folks at the Ultra HD 4K Blu-Ray Disc Alliance (or whatever they call it) are probably going to be there too. The world of CES changes so fast. Microsoft was on top, then they disappeared, now they’re back. Big TVs were big, now big TVs are yesterday’s news. If you don’t keep up, you’ll be lost.

This year’s show supposedly has a whole section for app developers. I am really curious to see how this works because it seems like there isn’t a real reason for an app to exhibit at a trade show. It should be interesting.

Mostly, I’ll be looking for that new and exciting thing just like everyone else. It’s hard to know what it’s going to be, but I can tell you it’s not going to be a smart watch. It’s also not going to be a tablet, and sadly it’s probably also not going to be anything at the Sony, LG, or Panasonic booths. Those big boys always rent too much space and I end up feeling like they’re going to trot out their VCRs, because so much of their stuff is just that outdated.

When it’s all said and done, I know I’ll have a great time because I’m there for a lot of reasons. I’ll see old friends, have solid business dealings and take a lot of pictures. And I’ll report (most of it) to you, my faithful readers.

About the Author

Stuart Sweet
Stuart Sweet is the editor-in-chief of The Solid Signal Blog and a "master plumber" at Signal Group, LLC. He is the author of over 10,000 articles and longform tutorials including many posted here. Reach him by clicking on "Contact the Editor" at the bottom of this page.