January 9, 2012, CES, Las Vegas—Shawn Dubravac from two opinions projected the trends for the coming year in consumer devices.
2010 saw the industry move beyond HD TV, new screens, connected and corralling content, customization and personalization, and empowering the individual. 2011 was the year for moving from portable to pocketable, embedded intelligence, sensorization of things, and apps.
Now we are entering the second decade of the digital transition. CES buyers are looking towards more wireless and wireless devices, lifestyle electronics, Internet-based multi-media, and connected homes. Most are looking at apps, tablets, streaming content viewers, content sharing devices, and general cloud and smart everything. Personalization and health-related technologies are rising fast.
Computing is at a crossroads where more computing will leave the core computing devices and go into multiple non-core devices like smart phones and tablets. The 4G backbone is rolling out and cloud functions enable even low compute power devices to handle large data volumes. Success will depend upon the ability to substitute other devices for the computer. The driver is connectivity, and not compute power.
2012 is the year of the interface. The increasing compute power of non-computer devices and their interconnectivity will allow more natural interactions with the data and content. Buttons will be replaced with configurable touch panels with underlying connectivity and intelligence. For a change, device interactions will not require a graduate–level degree in network optimization or the dexterity of a acrobat. Everything will become "smart".
At the same time, things are becoming more personal. End users are asking for, and getting, increasingly customizable hardware and services. The app store is not going away any time in the near future. Sensors are going into all areas to add new capabilities and functions to standard devices. Some smart phone apps are overlapping into health and fitness and the phones are becoming the platform for functional implementation. The aging baby boomers are looking to keep their independence while acknowledging the deterioration of their bodies. In other areas, indoor navigation is coming up. A number of companies are showing products to help get around inside buildings. Expect to see more social links in all areas.
TVs are going through a life change. We have gone from DTV to HD to big, flat, and thin. Now we will see thinner bezels, 4kx2k resolution, and autostereoscopic displays. Display technology will change from LCD to OLED to provide a brighter screen. Content will come from many sources and the content will have to find the viewer, not vice versa. TV will be on every flat, and even curved, surface to provide instant access to content everywhere and at any time.