CES® 2024 is right around the corner, taking place January 9 through 12 in Las Vegas. As usual, we will have plenty of coverage of CES. Best Buy Blog team members including myself, Ted Kritsonis, and Andy Baryer will be reporting live from the show as we attend press conferences, booth tours, and explore the show floor spaces. The rest of the blog writers and editors will also be following the show to post announcements from their homes. Visit the Best Buy blog often to learn about the newest tech. In addition, follow Best Buy on Instagram and TikTok for regular influencer posts from the show.
What is CES
CES, once known as the Consumer Electronics Show (now simply “CES” since the event encompasses much more than just “electronics”) has been a mainstay in the technology space for 56 years. The first show took place in 1967 and focused predominantly on audio and video technology. Now, CES spans every tech and peripheral category imaginable. This ranges from mobile tech to smart home, automotive tech, health tech, baby tech, virtual reality, fitness tech, and unique and quirky gadgets and gizmos. The show is produced by the Consumer Technology Association (CTA), which celebrates its 100th anniversary this year.
Last year, Andy Baryer chatted with Brian Comiskey, Director of Thematic Programs at the CTA in a video interview, to talk about some of the top categories attendees would be able to explore at the upcoming show. Many of these same categories will be focal points of the show this year, but the big story will be generative AI and ways we are integrating AI technology into all kinds of products and services.
What are we expecting to be announced at CES 2024
CES 2024 will be another big show with more than 3,500 exhibitors booked for the show (at the time of this writing), which spans 2.4 million net square feet throughout 11 different venues divided into three sections: Tech East, Tech West, and Tech South. It’s a lot of ground to cover, but the team is up for the challenge.
What will we be expecting at the show this year? Here are some tech categories that I expect to be huge, and that executives from CTA highlighted during a virtual media preview event in December.
Artificial intelligence
No doubt, the overarching theme at the show this year will be generative artificial intelligence (AI) and how this is being integrated into various products, technologies, industry verticals, and more. Arguably every area of focus at CES 2024 will include some form of AI integration.
Last year there were several surprising AI tech integrations announced including AI in Next base dash cams and even in baby tech. This year we expect that AI will become more integrated into everything from phones (think of devices like the Google Pixel 8 Pro that boasts AI technology to enable features like Best Take for photos) to smartwatches for advanced health tracking, computers, smart home devices—even appliances. AI will definitely be the buzz word for 2024, more so than ever before.
Health and accessibility tech for the home and beyond
For the last few years, health tech has been a big focus at CES, and for good reason. It is important to stay healthy at any age. But with an aging population, health and wellness is of even greater importance. This is fuelled by the current hybrid work culture and struggle with balancing work and personal time. Health tech encompasses the usual suspects like wearables, including smartwatches, fitness trackers, and other health monitors. It also includes devices for pain treatment, smart thermometers, and hearables.
Beyond that, the growth in health tech is fuelled by the role technology can, and does, play in specific medical fields. We’ll see technologies for surgeries, ones to monitor things like glucose levels, help those with hearing loss, individuals in wheelchairs, and more. AI is making its way to wearables already, like AI features in the Google Pixel Watch 2. We can expect to see more of it across the board in health tech.
Bigger and better TVs and audio
CES got its start, as noted, as an exclusive audio and video show. Several decades later, both categories are still big parts of the event. This year, all the major manufacturers will be showing off the latest TV technology, including LG, Samsung, Sony, and others. Expect to see innovations in OLED and LED TVs as well as micro-LED and mini-LED TVs that focus not only on fabulous picture quality when the TV is on but also stunning exterior design when the TV is off.
The built-in smart TV interfaces will be a focus this year as well, with new UIs and features that allow for simpler, more intuitive, and more intelligent access to the content you love. This will be achieved through the inclusion of AI and various other usability improvements that are, in many cases, the result of user feedback. Expect a much more seamless and personalized experience when navigating a smart TV interface with customized recommendations, voice assistance, easy access to frequently used menu items, smart home and third-party gadget integration, free content hubs, and more.
These displays will be complemented by a host of new audio products. Soundbars continue to grow in popularity thanks to their compact size and big sound, as well as tower speakers, portable Bluetooth speakers, and more. Expect not only bigger and better sound, but more personalized sound experiences as well.
Automotive tech takes a giant leap forward
Automotive tech will play a major role at CES again this year. The Tech West exhibit that was introduced at the 2022 event and was a big part of CES 2023 will return even bigger for 2024.
Car manufacturers will include newcomers Hyundai and Kia, along with third-party companies for accessories, software, and more. This year, Good Year will also be participating with an exhibit (and you might even be able to see its blimp in the sky!)
See the latest, and most futuristic cars, including electric, self-driving, and totally autonomous, but also third-party vehicle technologies that help you stay connected on the road. The exhibits will extend to outside the convention centre as well, and include everything from marine tech to air travel tech.
Food tech: smart and sustainable
Once again, food tech will return to the show in a big way, with technology designed to make production both smarter and more sustainable. This year, there will be a new tasting area where attendees can demo alternative foods. One pavilion in Eureka Park, notes Gary Shapiro, President of the CTA, will even feature a portable, inflatable farm.
The ultra-intelligent smart home
Most families have at least one smart device in the household by now, like a smart speaker or smart display. The idea of the smart home is being expanded more and more to encompass smart communities and smart cities. The focus isn’t just on convenience but more so on helping reduce energy consumption and strengthen security. Video doorbells, for example, are a growing category that provide both security and convenience: tell the delivery person to leave the package on the porch or keep an eye out for porch pirates and capture them on video.
At CES 2024, some of the smart home topics that will be explored include interoperability thanks to standards like Matter, and how the concept of smart devices working seamlessly together can be improved overall. This might include making it easier for others to tap into the home, like adults who are working as caregivers for elderly parents. It could also include ways to not only control lights and the thermostat remotely but gain a better understand of how these moves help save energy. Naturally, AI will play into this as well with technology that can intelligently and autonomously make adjustments and suggestions as needed, even give smart replies to people at your door, as with the Innovation Awards Honoree Swann HomeShield AI Security Concierge with Doorbell, which delivers natural language responses to people at your door (click here to see recent reviews of an assortment of Swann smart cameras).
We can’t forget about all the robots that will certainly be roaming the show floor as well, of course.
Smart appliances
Last year was a treasure trove of smart appliances small and large, from machines to sanitize your Air Jordans and leather boots to full-on robots that can make you breakfast and fold your clothing. From a more practical standpoint, expect to see high-end appliances that allow for greater personalization, just like the Samsung Bespoke line and LG MoodUP refrigerators that were shown at CES 2023. There will continue to be innovative technologies to help keep food fresher longer, help you cook more efficiently and healthier (think built-in air frying functionality for stoves), and exciting ways to manage keeping your wine bottles at the perfect temperature via wine fridges. Already an Innovation Award honoree, for example, is the Hisense smart built-in dishwasher that can expel liquid detergent automatically for up to a month so you can run cycles as needed with one less step to worry about.
The small appliance space, meanwhile, will likely see more of what we saw last year, from intelligent blenders and mixers to cocktail machines, soda makers, and devices that can do so much from one innovative machine. I have already been pitched on products like an AI-powered electric grille that optimizes the cook.
When it comes to all categories of tech, energy efficiency and eco-friendliness will be a core aspect overall.
Get ready for the show!
As noted, AI will be the big focus of the show, but what’s most exciting is seeing all the ways it will be used and integrated into various devices. Will it truly make a difference? Stay tuned for reporting of the best of the best from the show, along with some of the most interesting and maybe even weirdest items we come across.
CES 2024 takes place January 9-12, 2024 in Las Vegas. Stay tuned for live updates from the show and get ready for exciting new products and technologies coming to Best Buy this year.
CES® is a registered trademark of the Consumer Technology Association
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