The 7 Hottest Trends We’ll See at This Year’s CES

6 minute read

When I attended my first Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in 1976, I was in my mid-20s, new to the tech scene and highly impressionable. When I entered the show floor back then, my senses were bombarded by audio and video displays and vendors hawking their tech toys. In those days, Playboy Bunnies and Penthouse Pets were routinely used to draw dealers into booths — in fact, part of CES included an adult video section, since VCRs and their tapes were considered tech products.

Fast-forward to today, and CES has morphed into one of the most respectable consumer business events in the world. Hosted annually in Las Vegas, it spans more than two million square feet of show floor and includes enough gadgetry to fill 35 football fields. The Consumer Electronics Association (CEA), which puts on the show, said it expects between 150,000 and 160,000 industry professionals to attend CES between Jan. 6-10, 2015, on par with last year’s show.

Every year leading up to CES, I get hundreds of requests to meet with companies that want to show off their latest and greatest gadgets. Based on those invites, I’ve got some guesses as to what will be hot at CES 2015:

1. 4K Televisions and sound bars

High-def televisions were the big news at CES five to seven years ago. TV makers’ goal was to get everyone to move from analog to HD digital TVs, and that push has been widely successful. Now the industry is set to take television to the next level with 4k TVs.

4K TVs are capable of displaying four times the resolution of today’s HD sets, provided you’re playing true 4K content on them. At this year’s CES, we’ll see well over 100 different 4k TV models from dozens of vendors showing off stunning images and video.

Sound bars, tiny sound systems that sit in front of your TV and pump out HD stereo and 5.1 surround sound audio, will also be hot at CES this year. 4K TVs tend to be very slim, meaning there isn’t much room for serious speakers inside them. Sound bars fill that gap, greatly enhancing sound quality to match 4K TVs’ incredible visual output.

Also, don’t be surprised if we see a couple of 8K televisions launched at the show. Although 4K will be the big thing for the next three-to-four years, 8K TVs will debut in time for the 2020 Olympics in Tokyo, which should be broadcast in 8K by that time.

2. Connected Everything

The Internet of Things (IoT) will be a major theme at CES 2015. Many devices will come with some type of wireless radio that can connect to the Internet or other devices within the home, enabling you to control various aspects of your home with your smartphone.

There will be an emphasis on home automation, with smart door locks being the next big category to be pushed by the IoT crowd. We’ll also see connected lightbulbs, thermostats and even beds that gather data about how well you sleep.

3. Intellegent Cars

About two years ago, the world’s biggest automakers decided they should attend CES. This year, we’ll see 10 car companies at the show, including Audi, BMW, Toyota, General Motors, Mercedes-Benz and Ford. The latter two will be giving keynote speeches on Monday and Tuesday of CES.

We’ll see several forms of self-driving car technology, as well as news from Toyota around fuel cell technology. The car makers will also be touting in-car Internet connectivity and smartphone-syncing features, with many showing off integration with Apple’s new CarPlay service.

Top 10 Tech Product Designs of 2014

Nest Acquired by Google in Jan. 2014, Nest Labs wants to turn your home into a smart device. The home automation system includes Internet-connected smoke detectors and thermostats, which have screens and chic, round designs — a huge design boost for devices that haven't really changed in recent decades. Aya Brackett—Nest
DJI Inspire 1 The latest DJI quadcopter retains the simple style that's made their drones so popular, but adds 4K video capability — and the ability to transmit the HD video wirelessly to an on-the-ground devices. A new ground-facing camera also allows Inspire 1 to fly steadily to keep the video footage clean.
DJI Inspire 1 The latest DJI quadcopter retains the simple style that's made their drones so popular, but adds 4K video capability — and the ability to transmit the HD video wirelessly to an on-the-ground devices. A new ground-facing camera also allows Inspire 1 to fly steadily to keep the video footage clean.DJI
iPhone 6 and 6 Plus Bigger is better, or so the critics cried, calling for Apple to make a supersized phone. That was before Apple quieted them with the release of the iPhone 6 Plus in September, the company’s largest iPhone ever. With an alluring 5.5-inch display that makes it feel something like a portable iPad, the phone is is a challenge to Samsung’s larger models. Along with a powerful 8-megapixel camera and longer battery life, the phone is more a statement than an answer.Apple
Osmo Tangram
Osmo Tangram Tired of seeing your kids staring at screens like zombies? This iPad game brings virtual play to life. A reflector equipped with artificial intelligence snaps over your iPad's camera and can sense when objects are moving (or being drawn) on a pad in front of it. Osmo comes with three games, all of which promote creativity and—because it’s best played in groups—social intelligence. The best way to understand how Osmo works is by watching the video of kids who have never played with the device before testing it out for the first time.Osmo
Tesla 2014 Model S Tesla 2014 Model S has been praised both for its luxury feel and high-tech interior. The electric car offers instantaneous acceleration from a stop, a function very few other cars on the market provide. Tesla
Jawbone's Up3 wristband
Jawbone's UP3 Wristband Depending on your view, Jawbone is on the road to making us all super fit athletes or brutally efficient cyborgs who operate by data alone. How many minutes of REM sleep did I get last night? What’s the difference between my heart rate while resting and during a workout? How hydrated am I? How many calories did I burn on my last run? Jawbone UP3 answers all those questions better than any other Jawbone did before. The $179 wearable fits on your wrist and comes in black and silver.Jawbone
Square Stand The iPad holder and credit card reader launched last year with the goal of transforming an iPad into a point-of-sale. The sleek, white stand also offers an enhanced credit card reader, and can be adapted to include a cash register.Square
Nerf Rebelle Rapid Red Blaster
Nerf Rebelle Rapid Red Blaster Last year, Nerf decided to even the battlefield and create a new line of guns, arrows and crossbows specifically for girls. The resulting Nerf Rebelle line takes a cue from the success of The Hunger Games: The box is covered with tweens styled like that series' hero, Katniss Everdeen.Hasbro
Oculus Rift Crescent Bay The latest Oculus Rift prototype, Crescent Bay, marks one step further before the commercial release of the virtual reality handset. Crescent Bay features upgrades like 360-degree head tracking, a lighter weight, and high-quality audio. Lucky participants in the demos recalled the mind-boggling immersion in the scenes they were watching. The consumer version, Oculus Rift, is expected to launch as early as April 2015.
Oculus Rift Crescent Bay The latest Oculus Rift prototype, Crescent Bay, marks one step further before the commercial release of the virtual reality handset. Crescent Bay features upgrades like 360-degree head tracking, a lighter weight, and high-quality audio. Lucky participants in the demos recalled the mind-boggling immersion in the scenes they were watching. The consumer version, Oculus Rift, is expected to launch as early as April 2015.Oculus VR
Qualcomm WiPower Sick of tangled phone charging cables? Qualcomm WiPower allows you to power up your phone without plugging it in — a function that, to most people, is basically magic. The wireless charging pad eliminates the fuss of power chords, while also allowing you to turn everyday furniture like tables and chairs into charging surfaces.Qualcomm

4. Wearables

Even though the most anticipated wearable of 2015 — the Apple Watch — won’t be at CES, wearables will still be everywhere, with fitness wearables dominating the show. We should also see some new smartwatches and perhaps even some Google Glass-style headwear, although interest in smart glasses has waned dramatically since last year’s show.

Even though Apple doesn’t attend CES, its presence will still be felt in a big way. The Apple Watch will be a major part of the wearables discussion at the show, while well over 100 booths will feature wearable accessories for the iPhone and iPad.

Outside of Apple, the wearable I find most interesting will be from GoMore. GoMore has added EKG monitoring to its device, allowing athletes to monitor their stamina as well as heart rate. That could be valuable for anyone doing serious training.

If you’re attending CES this year, I’ll be moderating the CES Supersession on smartwatches on Wednesday, Jan. 7. The event, titled The Market for Smartwatches, will feature executives from Samsung, Motorola, Intel’s Basis division and Yahoo discussing who might buy smartwatches and why. Find more info here.

5. Consumer Robotics

CES 2015 will have a special section for robotics, and we should see some interesting new twists on robots for the home. While iRobot’s Roomba dominates this space today, we could see variations around robots as servants, doing things like cleaning up after your pets or washing your windows. And plenty of new airborne robots — drones — will be debuting at CES 2015 as the category becomes more mainstream.

See How Tech CEOs Spend Their Money

NETHERLANDS-US-APPLE-YACHT-STEVE-JOBS
Steve Jobs The Apple CEO's super yacht Venus was designed by Philippe Starck's design company Ubik. Jobs spent approximately $131 million on it but passed away in 2011 before it was completed.Ed Oudenaarden—AFP/Getty Images
Los Angeles Clippers Fan Festival
Steve Ballmer In 2014, former Microsoft CEO Steve Balmer spent $2 billion to become the owner of the NBA's Los Angeles Clippers.Jeff Gross—Getty Images
The Hawaiian island of Lanai is pictured in NASA satellite handout image
Larry Ellison Outgoing Oracle CEO Larry Ellison owns 98% of the 141-square-mile Hawaiian island of Lanai, which he bought for an undisclosed price. He is turning it into a "model for sustainable enterprise," he's said, though details remain sketchy.NASA/Reuters
An aerial view of the Burning Man 2013 arts and music festival is seen in the Black Rock Desert of Nevada
Larry Page and Sergey Brin Google CEO Larry Page and co-founder Sergey Brin have been attending the Burning Man Arts Festival since the company's early days. There they fund a "theme camp" and how exactly the funds are used is left up to participants' imaginations.Jim Urquhart—Reuters
GHANA-US-AID-HEALTH-PEOPLE-GATES
Bill Gates The former Microsoft CEO is currently the richest man in the world, according to Bloomberg. Since 2000, Gates and his wife have been running the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. In total it has issued grants adding up to over $30 billion.Pius Utomi Ekpei—AFP/Getty Images
Tesla Motors Chairman and CEO Elon Musk
Elon Musk PayPal Co-Founder Elon Musk (in driver's seat) began as a Series A investor in 2004 and is now the CEO and chief product architect of Tesla Motors. The company created the first mass-produced, highway-capable electric car and is valued at over $18 billion.Robyn Beck—AFP/Getty Images
Branson to Stay "Major" Virgin Atlantic Holder as Partner Sought
Richard Branson Founder of Virgin Group, comprised of more than 400 companies, Branson has invested heavily in spaceship tourism with the SpaceShipTwo vehicle .David Paul Morris—Bloomberg/Getty Images
Zuckerberg's 1% Loan Shows How Wealthy Stay Rich
Mark Zuckerberg To ensure his privacy, Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg bought four of his neighboring houses in 2013 for an estimated $30 million-plus in Palo Alto, California.Noah Berger—Bloomberg/Getty Images

6. Tablets

Although tablet growth slowed in 2014, tablets will again be big stars at this year’s CES. We’ll see lots of very low-cost tablets, with more of them focusing on application-specific functions, serving as personal TVs or alarm clocks. These single-feature devices could give new life to the tablet market in 2015.

Smartphones, meanwhile, won’t make much of a splash at CES 2015. New smartphone models typically launch at the annual Mobile World Congress held in Barcelona every March.

7. 3D Printers

The CEA says 3D printers are one of the top tech trends to watch in 2015. Indeed, 3D printers have come down in price significantly, and we should see several models under $1,500 at this year’s show. CEA’s 3D printer predictions include:

  • Double digit percentage growth in units shipped by 2018
  • $76 million in total revenue in 2014 (up 44% from 2013)
  • $175 million in total revenue by 2018
  • However, at prices around $1,500, 3D printers are still mainly being bought by hobbyists and those in the Maker movement. While some consumer devices, like HP’s 3D camera-equipped Sprout, are intriguing, it will take more hardware and software innovation — and lower prices — before 3D printers and cameras make it into the mainstream.

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