Here’s Part 9 of our predictions:
The role of CES will diminish next year. The Consumer Electronics Show (CES) has been the tech industry’s most important conference, having eclipsed Comdex a decade ago. CES is a mashup of consumer gadgets and the tech that powers those gadgets (like semiconductors), and it’s been considered so important that non-tech outlets feel compelled to cover the latest cool gadgets launched at the show. But that is changing — and not just because Apple has not been attending or that Microsoft announced that it will not attend next year’s show. The reason: While CES is not “dead show walking,” it is being supplanted by Austin’s South by Southwest (SXSW), March 8-18. The change does not mean we don’t love gadgets – because we still do. But it may mean that we don’t always like the gadgets CES wants us to love. Prime example: despite last year’s CES love fest for 3-D TVs, consumers did not rush out to buy them. We love apps and social and SXSW is the show that launches them.
Let us know if you agree or disagree. And check back tomorrow for our last set of predictions for 2012.
