We're still a day away from the official start of CES 2015 on Jan. 6. However, today I got a taste of what to expect from this year's show.
Shawn Dubravac, the chief economist and director of research for the Consumer Electronics Association, gave a preview today of the top trends we'll be seeing at CES 2015. One major theme Dubravac predicted was the digitization of space, where companies are taking information already available in the physical world and digitizing it in ways that can be meaningful in our daily lives. This includes everything from Roost, a nine-volt battery that alerts your smartphone when it's running low to NapTime, a duo of wristbands that notifies each partner when it's his or her turn to check on their baby, to 3-D printing.
I found the second trend, permeation of logic, to be one of the most fascinating. This includes devices adapting to our environment and being able to give a more personal and refined recommendation. For instance, Dubravac spoke about how cool it would be if your Netflix account not only recommended titles based on your interests and what other users have watched but if it could also connect to the Next device in your house, Dropcam surveillance and your wearable of choice to tailor a title based on the interior temperature, how many guests you have over and what your mood is. If you're by yourself in a cold living room and feeling depressed, for instance, wouldn't a Nicholas Sparks flick be absolutely perfect?
Dubravac's final two trends included the Internet of Me, which means making the Internet even more tailored to the individual, and fragmented innovation, a growing focus on devices that have a smaller, more niche audience and application. Something like a smart crockpot would fit in there.
Perhaps most importantly, however, is not what we'll be seeing at CES 2015 but what it means for our lives. As technology becomes an ever greater part of our lives, it's not only essential to know what it can do but also what impact it will have.
"Is it technologically meaningful," Dubravac said at the event. "Not can we do it, but should we do it?"
