What Will CES Look Like in 10 Years?

Tech journalism outfits all over the world are preparing to descend upon Las Vegas, Nevada in about three weeks for the annual Consumer Electronics Show, or CES as it is commonly referred to. CES is where a lot of the new product action happens. However, two significant departures from the show in recent years, Apple and Microsoft, make us wonder what the show will look like a decade from now.

Here are three reasons why CES could be significantly smaller by 2024.

1. CES is costly

Think about how much it costs to fly these days. Now think about how much it costs to get hotel rooms, secure transportation and food, and supply a team of marketing professionals, PR folks, Product Managers, engineers, tech executives and other types who flock to CES year after year. The costs add up fast.

2. Company-specific events are becoming more prevalent

Not only are events held by single companies becoming more commonplace these days, but it’s also probably a lot cheaper to hold your event in New York in say, April, than it is to schlep on over to Vegas in early January. On top of that, you know what’s great about holding your own event? You’re guaranteed that all of the eyeballs turning up for your event or tuning into your live stream will be on your product and your product alone. Apple, Microsoft, Samsung and other companies hold their own events. Other companies could follow suit down the line.

3. Product development is rushed by CES-related crunch time

Since CES is the show of shows for many tech firms out there, oftentimes product development gets rushed in order to ensure that the company has something to show off at the big event. Rushing something out the door can hurt the quality of a product – as well as the company’s health – both in the short and the long term.

What will CES look like in 10 years?

1. CES is costly

2. Company-specific events are becoming more prevalent

3. Product development is rushed by CES-related crunch time

Editors' Recommendations