Today marks the kick-off of the 2011 International Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas. CES has become the “crystal ball” that shows what we’ll see next in our pockets and on retail store shelves and is now one of the most pivotal places for a company to launch their consumer driven electronic product. Yesterday, companies like Nashville-based Griffin Technology, HP and Verizon already gave the media a sneak peak into what consumer products they will be touting at this year’s event. Here are the trend observations and predictions popping up already:
- The iPad is getting some competition
- Being green is becoming more of a trend for manufacturers and consumers
- As consumers move more toward mobile technology, more smartphones hit the market, and Android rules
- We’re moving more and more to 3D TV with affordable devices being offered that have better technology
Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer, who made an appearance as our keynote speaker at last year’s Membership Breakfast, spoke yesterday at the pre-event show. Microsoft also unveiled their Surface 2.0 tablet device, which is predicted to hit the consumer market at a cost of $7,600.
We’ll see as the week unfolds if what is fresh to market fulfills what Tech Crunch recently predicted as the “Seven Technologies That Will Rock 2011″. You can follow all the news as it unfolds via the official CES twitter , via CNET’s dedicated CES 2011 Latest News site and through CrunchGear’s live broadcast from the CES tradeshow floor .
