The moment that tech fans around the world have been waiting for is finally almost here, with the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) set to return on January 5.
The event will be the first in-person, full capacity CES since 2020, due to the Covid pandemic.
Held at the Las Vegas Convention Center, the event showcases some of the newest products from tech giants including Amazon, Samsung and Meta.
It takes place between January 5 and January 8, although most major announcements will take place during the two days before.
CES 2023 is set to be the first in-person, full capacity Consumer Electronics Show since 2020, due to the Covid pandemic
‘CES 2023 will harness the power of human-to-human interaction to keep the innovation engine moving forward,’ says the Consumer Technology Association (CTA), organizer of the annual event.
‘CES is the most influential tech event in the world – the proving ground for breakthrough technologies and global innovators.
‘This is where the world’s biggest brands do business and meet new partners, and the sharpest innovators hit the stage.’
Here’s all you need to know about CES 2023 before it officially begins on Thursday.
WHAT IS CES?
CES is a technology trade show held annually in Las Vegas, Nevada.
The show, which is usually attended by more than 100,000 people, is often used by some of the biggest names in the industry to announce new products.
The first Consumer Electronic Show kicked off in 1967, with 250 exhibitors and 17,500 attendees in New York.
It used to be held twice a year in various ways until 1998, when it switched to once-a-year with Las Vegas as the permanent location.
CES is held in January at the Las Vegas Convention Center (pictured) in Winchester, Nevada, US
WHO WILL BE ATTENDING?
More than 2,800 companies have signed up to attend CES 2023, including big names such as Samsung, Amazon, Google, LG, Microsoft, Sony, Panasonic and Asus.
Apple, meanwhile, doesn’t attend CES, nor the other big tech exhibitions of the year, because it prefers to hold its own events under its own steam.
Other smaller attendees include Canadian robotics firm WowWee, ‘deeptech’ startup Greenerwave that specializes in the control of electromagnetic waves and LA health-tech Movano, which will show off its Evie ring, a wearable developed for women.
The ring can read metrics including heart rate, respiration rate, skin temperature, period and ovulation tracking and menstrual symptom tracking.
Evie ring, a wearable developed with women in mind, will be shown off at CES 2023 by its creator, Movano
WHAT ELSE WILL BE ANNOUNCED?
Some of the big companies have been tight-lipped on what it might reveal at CES 2023, while others have released teasers.
Samsung has already sent out invitations for its CES press conference at 2pm local time on January 4, a day before the event is set to begin.
The invitation has the title ‘Bringing calm to our connected world’.
Samsung has said CES will be an opportunity to ‘share our journey together for creating a sustainable and prosperous future’.
Samsung has already sent out invitations for its CES press conference with the title ‘Bringing calm to our connected world’
Pictured, controllers for the Sony PlayStation VR2 headset for the PlayStation 5. The headset is set to be released in February so will likely be on display at CES 2023
It will also present a ‘new and expanded experience’ on SmartThings, its ecosystem for internet-connected devices.
Sony, meanwhile, has released a video of what looks like a car, along with the message, ‘See you in Las Vegas on January 4’.
It’s already known that the Japanese giant has partnered with compatriot Honda to produce and sell electric vehicles from 2025.
Sony’s PlayStation VR2, its new virtual reality headset for the PlayStation 5, is also set to be released in February so will likely be on display.
Asus is rumored to be launching a 3D OLED laptop, featuring lifelike images that appear to leap off the screen.
A teaser video from the company posted in December with the words ‘witness the change’ shows what this might look like.
Dell, HP and Lenovo are expected to reveal new 2-in-1s or monitors with a focus on gaming.
Amazon also has a dedicated webpage for CES 2023, although it doesn’t reveal much in terms of products.
It does say it will be showcasing ‘smart homes, cars, entertainment and more’.
WHAT’S THE THEME FOR CES 2023?
The theme for this year’s show is ‘human security’, which refers to basic human rights such as access to food and health care.
‘We were approached by The World Academy of Art and Science, which has been working with the United Nations for a long time on human security,’ Kinsey Fabrizio, senior vice president at CTA, told the Associated Press.
‘They wanted CES to really use this theme because our exhibitors are showcasing how they’re solving some of these big global challenges with technology.’
Fabrizio also said the metaverse will be ‘a key theme’ shared and immersive virtual experiences, while there will be a dedicated part of the show floor for Web3.
CES is returning to Las Vegas in January 2023 with the hope that it inches closer to how it looked before the pandemic
Web3 is a word for the third stage of evolution of the World Wide Web, incorporating blockchains, digital currencies, non-fungible tokens and more.
The organization is expecting CES 2023 to draw 100,000 attendees – up from around 40,000 in 2022 due to the impact of Covid.
CES 2022 ended one day earlier than planned and many companies, including Amazon, Google and Meta, pulled out of attending in-person.
CES 2022 saw a 70 per cent drop in in-person attendance amid the spread of the Omicron variant.
The one before that was held virtually, replacing in-person displays and meet and greets with video streams and chats.
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