ces key trends 2012

CES Key Trends 2012

Confidential. © Seymour Powell Limited, 2012. All rights reserved.

KEY TRENDS FROM THE GREATEST TECHNOLOGY SHOW ON EARTH...

Mariel Brown (Head of Trends) and Ben Watson (Associate Design Director) from design and innovation company Seymourpowell, elbowed their way through the record-breaking 153,000 strong crowds, and trawled every inch of the 35 football pitches worth of technology stands to uncover the key trends from this years show.

3D InvasIon

Since 2010 visitors to CES would be forgiven for thinking that the only way to see the technological zeitgeist is through a pair of 3D glasses. This year’s show was no different. LG led the charge with their slogan “How smart is your 3D TV?” Walking through their prime-position stand wearing a pair of 3D glasses, one could see all manner of things flying through the air; from swarms of butterflies to fencing swords – the obligatory 3D demo. All very eye-catching and dramatic, yet what excited us far more was the headway that is being made in passive 3D technology that allows you to view 3D TV without glasses. In previous years this has appeared extremely crude but it is now starting to feel like a viable option for the future.

set top to Rule

In recent years the TV has felt like the most under-developed opportunity in consumer electronics. As our mobile phones have evolved into mobile devices, our TVs seem to have only progressed by becoming thinner and larger versions of their former selves. However, TVs have now stepped out of the shadows; now smart and connected, they are once again set to become the hub of our home. With technology including gestural interfacing (such as LG’s smart remote) and touch screen technology (such as Sharp’s new 80–inch touch screen) being heavily pushed at this years show, the TV is equipped to become the primary interface for our smart devices.

the DIalect of DevIces

With TVs becoming more intelligent, the way in which they talk to our other devices is becoming a hot topic: Ecosystems that can connect all your products together (so we can access our content from any of our devices wherever

The annual Consumer Electronics Show (CES) held in Las Vegas has become known as the global event to experience the cutting edge of technology.

MaRIel BRoWn head of trends at seymourpowell

What excited us far more was the developments being made in passive 3D technology that allows you to view 3D TV without glasses. In previous years this had appeared extremely crude but it is now starting to feel like a viable option for the first time.


are closed and demand absolute brand loyalty. This is obviously fantastic news for the manufacturer that wins your vote, but perhaps less good news for the savvy consumer that likes to shop around.

auto sMaRts

The notion of connected appliances is now venturing out of the home and extending to our cars. A key driver for this trend is the predicted global increase of Megacities (a metropolitan area with a total population in excess of 10 million people). As more and more of us globally migrate into the city, congestion is set to worsen at an alarming

But these product ecosystems aren’t without their compromises, in this instance these smart devices play dumb when you try to connect them to one another.

we may be) were a clear theme at this years show with all of the big players such as Samsung, Sony and LG launching new smart systems.

Having all of our devices connected to one another in a deeply integrated way offers some clear consumer benefits, for example we can start watching a film in our living room and carry on from the same position on the bus to work. But these benefits are not without their compromises; in this instance these smart devices play dumb when you try to connect them to another brand’s products. These ecosystems

rate. Manufacturers believe that the key to keeping people commuting in their own car is to make the drive more enjoyable and connected. This sets a big design challenge – how can a greater number of software features be made available to the driver without distracting them? Ford’s response to this dilemma had many tech geeks’ pulses racing at the show. The Ford Evos is a concept car that aims to create a seamless lifestyle between the home, office and car by accessing the driver’s personal information and anticipating their needs. If CES 2012 is anything to go by it won’t be long until our cars will be monitoring our well being, streaming our content, and steering us out of trouble.

the ultRa coMpetItIon

Since it was introduced in 2008 the MacBook Air has reigned supreme over the ultraportable notebook market. This domination looked set to change at this years CES as word got out that many of the big players would finally be releasing some serious competition. Indeed many manufacturers such as Acer, Asus,

© Seattle Times © Wired.com


Samsung, HP, Toshiba, Dell and Lenovo all launched ultra books at the show. For Mac devotees the hype may have been a little optimistic as some of the models still felt relatively heavy and bulky.

But, it wasn’t all doom and gloom for PC enthusiasts with definite signs of progress being made - Dells new 13” XPS uses an incredibly compact design, whilst Samsung’s Series 9 ultrabook combines a great technical package with good design and high quality manufacture. Many of these new PC contenders were hitting the mark with appealing form factors, combined with an excellent finish and striking use of materials. How these new releases will compete with the soon to be released next generation of MacBook Air remains to be seen; this may raise the bar yet again.

photo/fIlM RenaIssance

This years camera releases at CES were

extremely impressive. From affordable point -and-shoots all the way up to ‘re-mortgage your home’ DSLRs, CES 2012 reflected the exciting period we are moving through in film and photography. A period in which camera manufacturers must pull out all the f-stops to compete with the increasing ability of our smart phone cameras.

At the heart of the fight back is the creation of ‘smart’ cameras, which (as with smart phones) allow users to connect to the Internet for instant photo sharing. Where camera manufacturers are aiming to differentiate themselves is the quality of the photos. A particular favourite was the nostalgic fun offered by Polaroid’s new Z340 - a fully-functioning digital camera with an integrated printer. The enthusiastic crowds gathered around Polaroid’s stand were all desperate to get their hands on this new release. This highlighted the fact that, in an increasingly digital world, people still crave the tactile and tangible.

ManufactuReD By Me

The notion of printing our products at home has felt like an exciting yet distant dream of the future for many years now. However, the dream has finally been brought into the present thanks to the launch of Cubify. Cubify is a desktop sized 3D printer aimed at the consumer market. It allows people to download designs from the Cubify website, customise them, and then print them off at home in ABS plastic.

We’re looking forward to watching this technology develop. Should print-at- home technology reach a tipping point the economic and environmental implication could be huge.

DesIgneD to evolve

The most exciting trend to emerge at this years show, and the one that felt the most relevant in these financially and environmentally unstable times, was the notion of designing products to evolve. Manufacturers are realising that consumers do not want to purchase expensive goods such as TVs, only to have to update them a year later. So instead of creating products whose technologies quickly become obsolete, they are designing products that can have their software updated. A fantastic example of this was seen from Samsung who impressed by “future proofing” their Smart TVs by adding an upgrade slot. This could spell an end to hours of frustration finding the right TV model; instead we could be scratching our heads over which update we need.

MARIEL BROWN Head of Trends at Seymourpowell. To find out more please contact: [email protected]

Should print-at-home technology reach a tipping point the economic and environmental implication could be huge...

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ces key trends 2012

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