We think the three main trends at CES this year which you will see in real life are voice, Windows 10 and autonomous cars.
In voice control all the big players are in catch-up mode with Amazon and its Alexa systems. Google, Microsoft and Apple have been concentrating so hard on phone and search based voice and control they missed Amazon building a stealth voice business in the home.
They are all now launching homehub/control devices but it’s all catch-up and the prices are just a little bit more than Amazon, who seem to have hit the sweet spot with the Echo and Echo Dot. Amazon also seem to be playing to their strength by licensing the tech so it can be incorporated into many more devices by third parties. While this can be assessed as a smart way of adding new applications and devices we believe it’s even more advantageous to Amazon.
We believe it broadens the devices available which helps fend off competitors and spreads Alexa as the system of choice. It gives Amazon even more data and information to improve the Alexa system and increase the “skills” it has. Finally it will almost certainly be housed on the Amazon AWS services so completing a potential triple revenue stream and virtuous feedback loop for the product development.
Voice control by all the main tech players is the attempt to give us the Star Trek computer, none of them are that good yet but the increased competition will drive solutions very quickly. In the future we’re moving to an Audio Interface, with the visual interface becoming secondary for enhanced information.
Why have we added in Windows 10, you must be thinking? Well, because Microsoft are back as the cool tech company that are out innovating Apple. They have an OS in Windows 10 that is arguably more functional and cooler to use, it’s powering a whole new generation of thinner, lighter laptops and innovative powerful alternative devices.
Microsoft’s Surface products have finally allowed them to compete head on with Apple and in most cases exceed the Apple devices functionality for enterprise and now also in the consumer market. The changes made to Microsoft by its newish CEO Satya Nadella have made the company exciting again and they are using the Windows and Office behemoths to make sure they again start to be everywhere - the best example of this new commitment is Office for IOS.
We're looking forward to the host of new Windows based Intel and Arm devices teased at CES. They are going to bring increased power, battery life, performance, clever designs and lower prices to the consumer.
We read an article in the national press saying that it’s quite likely that any child born in the next few years will never drive a car themselves due to automation - some may think this quite sad, as learning to drive has been a serious rite of passage for many years.
The excitement of the possibilities of this technology are now starting to become reality for car manufacturers and their customers. One of the biggest sections of the CES show was automotive at least on a par with the great drone explosion of the last two years!
All the legacy manufacturers have been showing their tech, but the more interesting solutions look like they will be coming from the tech sector. Waymo, Tesla and Uber look amongst the best bets for the best working systems with maximum miles on real roads. With the real world miles under the belt tech licensing for the old established manufacturers looks more sensible.
Ford, Toyota, PSA, Mazda are joining together to try and build a joint solution for in-car entertainment and possibly autonomous technologies. Looking at the disruptive nature of the tech for autonomous driving, who would bet against tech companies that have spent more on R&D in this area already.
Certainly not Honda who are an early mover by signing with Waymo for a limited deal. This may lead to buyers starting to treat cars like mobile phones - perhaps the future drivers of the world will be buying on badge and OS.