CES 2024 Recap
For most people, the Consumer Electronics Show needs no introduction. This massive trade show takes place in Las Vegas each January, and it never fails to bring together the biggest and brightest in the industry. The sheer size of the show – this year in excess of 135,000 attendees – makes it a notable event that brands simply can’t afford to ignore.
Writing a recap of a show as massive as CES in a single blog post would be an impossible task. However, we can highlight some of the most notable moments from the show and some of the exciting products and projects that may be making waves in the coming years. 6connect was fortunate enough to be in attendance for the show and had a front-row seat for all of the exciting happenings up and down The Strip.
An Impressive List of Speakers
Given the tremendous size and reach of the Consumer Electronics Show, it’s no surprise that this event annually attracts some of the biggest names in the industry to speak. The 2024 version was no exception, and the list below touches on just a few of the major players to give a talk during the week.
Walmart CEO Doug McMillon. Technology is playing an increasing role in retail, and Mr. McMillion presented a vision of how that will evolve moving forward.
HD Hyundai CEO Kisun Chung. Modern technology is not just reserved for computer screens – it is impacting the physical world around us. This presentation highlighted how innovations are changing infrastructure.
L’Oreal CEO Nicolas Hieronimus. This speech was the CTA State of the Industry Address and it discussed how tech can make the world more sustainable, accessible, and inclusive.
Some of the Many Exciting Products
At its core, CES is all about the next generation of products that are introduced to the market. Many of these products are actually years away from being available to the public, but it is still exciting to see what might be coming along in the years ahead. Here are a few of the products and ideas that are stealing the headlines –
- A robot that parks cars. Everyone has heard about the possibilities that self-driving cars bring to the future of our roads, but this tech is a little different. A device called a Parkie has the ability to go under a car, physically lift it up, and take it to a different place in a parking garage. Effectively, this type of device could do the work of a human valet, parking and retrieving vehicles on command.
- Long-range Wi-Fi camera. Security cameras have nearly endless uses, but they are often limited by how far they can reach a Wi-Fi signal to stay connected. With the Abode Edge Camera, that range stretches out to over a mile. This would make it possible to establish a security-monitored area on even a large property.
- An add-on keyboard. Are you among the many people who miss the days of having a physical keyboard to use on your phone? That problem has been solved by a company called Clicks. They offer a product that acts as a case for your iPhone (only more recent models) and has a keyboard on the bottom that just may give you the tactile experience you’ve been missing.
A Focus on the IPv6 Transition
As part of the ongoing push to transition as much of the internet as possible to IPv6, the American Registry for Internet Numbers was present at CES with a booth in the Westgate. The move from IPv4 to IPv6 continues to make steady – if not particularly fast – progress, so providing the tech industry with the information it needs to continue moving this way is a valuable opportunity. There is nowhere better to put this information in front of tech decision-makers than CES, so the presence of ARIN is a natural fit.
Moving Forward
It never takes long after the dust settles on one Consumer Electronics Show for the attention to shift to the next version 12 months later. This time, that next show will be CES 2025, scheduled for January 7th – 10th. Given the rate at which technology changes, who knows what kinds of incredible tech will be on display by that time, and who knows how much progress will have been made in the push toward IPv6.
Of course, those in the networking world don’t have to wait a full year for another important event, as other industry gatherings that are specific to network infrastructure are far closer on the horizon. For example, NANOG 90 is just around the corner, being held February 12-14 in Charlotte. It’s sure to be another great event!
