Christmas; New Year; CES: the classic seasonal sequence returned with the tech show attracting 115,000 visitors to Las Vegas last week. CES isn’t back to its pre-Pandemic heights, and IFA 2022 had more attendees (161,000), but CES remains incredibly influential, setting the tech agenda for the year.
It wasn’t just the timing or the miles of florid casino carpet that felt familiar: many of the key themes and launches were evolutionary rather than revolutionary. For me, this is a welcome move in an uncertain world: the right time for ‘new and improved’ rather than ‘WTF?’
With headline-grabbing talk of flying cars (another concept we’ve seen countless times) and even colour-changing vehicles, CES 2023 sometimes felt more like the world’s biggest car show – and with more than 300 automotive/mobility exhibitors, that’s probably not far off.
The EV we’re most excited to see in 2023 is the DeLorean Alpha 5, one of the stars of the show. Back to the Future nostalgia drew crowds to see the gullwing beauty reborn in electric form. We can’t wait to sit in this stunning car and hear its Cambridge Audio system!
Seeing brands grow from show to show is another of CES’s evolutionary delights. Nanoleaf has developed from a brand I first met in a tiny start-up section of CES to a smart lighting superstar scooping multiple ‘best in show’ awards. We were delighted to spread the word about its exciting new launches, including its modular Skylight ceiling lights (return of ‘the big light’?) and Sense+ smart light switches, which learn your lighting habits – a worthy CES Innovations Award winner.
Some innovators have an even longer history. We were particularly pleased to see Naim Audio – 50 years young in 2023 – win a CES Innovations Award, and not just because we wrote the award entry! Its stunning new NSC 222 distils five decades of audio experience and a ton of cutting-edge technology into a multi-talented music box that’s as happy streaming high-resolution music as it is ready for your vinyl records or headphones. Part of Naim’s new Classic series, it’s the start of an exciting golden anniversary year for the Salisbury brand.
Also gathering garlands was Naim’s sister brand, Focal, whose new Vestia range uses exclusive designs – including speaker cones made from recycled carbon fibre – to bring fresh, Gallic flair to the traditional speaker market.
Digital health and beauty was another big show theme, and it was fascinating to see an increasing number of wearables without displays – taking us full circle back to the earliest, pre-smartwatch fitness trackers! With devices to measure and rate just about every bodily action and function, there’s massive potential but also a huge issue of data privacy and security to consider.
Of course, it wouldn’t be CES without some eyebrow-raising ideas – literally, in one case. Given the feckless nature of the average wireless printer, I’m not sold on the idea of one designed to ink your eyebrows on every morning. For the sake of the overstretched NHS, we think we’ll pass on the e-skates concept, too.
Finally, for the first time, CES had a theme focused on Human Security for All – the show partnering with the UN Trust Fund for Human Security and the World Academy of Art and Science on the HS4A global campaign to foster food security, access to health care, personal income, environmental protection, personal safety, community security and political freedom. It was heartening to see a focus on innovation around clean water, food security, smart cities infrastructure, sustainable energy solutions, personal security and accessibility. One of the standout innovations from this initiative was from start-up, OneThird – on a mission to reduce food waste with infrared scanners that can tell if fruits are ripe. Less guesswork on whether that mango or avocado is ready to eat for customers, and hopefully a huge reduction in perfectly good fruit being dumped by retailers. Look out for that tech in supermarkets soon.
