Another year, another CES is over. Everyone, from the biggest names in tech to startups that just launched their crowdfunding campaigns, was out in full force in Las Vegas last week to try and prove that their products will be the next big thing in tech.
We saw a lot of innovation that we definitely wouldn't mind having in our lives. However, with more than 20,000 new products on display this year, there were bound to be some not-so-great devices out there, too. These are the five biggest disappointments of CES 2015.
1. Sony Walkman NW-ZX2
At more than 35 years old, the Sony Walkman is a classic piece of technology. And apparently, its still around and coming back with a vengeance even. Sony unveiled its new Walkman NW-ZX2 at CES this year, and though it doesn't take us all the way back to 1979, it definitely makes us feel like we're living in 2002 again. Releasing a new portable music player these days just seems antiquated and unnecessary with most people using their smartphones as their primary music device. And who's really going to spend nearly $1,200 on one? To be fair, this device is really intended for the more serious audiophiles out there, but it doesn't seem like there are even enough of them out there to make this product a success. It's going to be a sad day when the Walkman disappears forever, but there will come a time when that becomes a reality.
2. InBody
InBody is a pretty advanced product testing percent body fat, segmental muscle distribution and body water balance. It's marketed as a product meant to help consumers understand their weight and how the factors going into weight (e.g. water, muscle, fat) are indicators of health. The consumer stands on the device and the results are broken up into a body composition analysis, muscle-fat analysis, obesity analysis, segmental lean analysis, and ECW/TBW (ratio for water retention) analysis. It is an accurate machine, but the problem lies in how the results are presented. The chart displaying the analyses is complex and the numbers, percentages and indicators aren't explained in a way the average active consumer can easily understand. For a product like this to succeed, the analytics need to be more conveniently displayed and explained, so it can help do its job - making life, and weight management, easier.
3. 4K 3-D Display
CES 2015 was all about 4K display. However, some companies need to learn that you don't need to mess with a good thing. We saw at least two 4K 3-D displays at CES this year, one of which was from Marvel Digital Limited. The high-resolution picture combined with the glasses-free 3-D feature made the screen look more like a hologram than something you want to stare at. The display is actually intended more for things like presentations and advertisements, so if the purpose is to grab your attention, 4K 3-D display definitely achieves that but for the wrong reasons. It really just hurts to look at. This is a great example of doing too much too soon.
4. Luminette
Luminette is a product made to offer portable light therapy to those needing energy in the morning, or those facing depression in the dark days of winter. From consumers with SAD (seasonal affective disorder) to consumers looking for an alternative to coffee, luminette is meant to help increase energy levels by re-regulating internal rhythms synchronized to the light-dark cycle. But the product sits upon the brow in a bulky, inconvenient way. While the device might actually jack up energy levels, consumers will likely pass over it for aesthetic reasons.
5. Innerly
Innerly's smart pendant aims to help consumers slow down and regain balance of their lives. Marketed as a way of "journaling", the device, when pressed, activates a voice recorder so you can narrate a current circumstance you'd like to remember. The voice memos are then sent to an app on which you can add photos and text to the memo and remember experiences you'd like to relive. Its purpose is, essentially, to let you live and capture memories at the same time, rather than experiencing great moments through the eyes of your camera. But that's its main problem - there's no camera. Without a visual way of capturing memories - and visual keepsakes seem to be the most popular way of reliving great moments - its likely many will skip over the pendant. Journaling apps, smartphone voice recorders, and cameras will remain the way we capture memorable moments for the time being.
