As the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) 2015 comes to a close in Las Vegas, tech PR agencies like us are always keen to see what wowed attendees this year. For decades, CES has debuted innovations that later establish themselves in the Western world as everyday products. The Plasma TV, Blu-ray Disc and Microsoft Xbox were all seen first at CES, so we were understandably excited to see what the show had in store this year.
Perhaps unsurprisingly, it was the weird and wonderful products that got the attention of the press, particularly those that follow the ‘smart homes’ trend. A washing machine that can have its progress tracked via a smartphone was demonstrated for example, as was central heating that turns on as you enter the front door.
It’s evident that connectivity is increasingly becoming part of domestic products’ features and functions. As the self-driving cars of Audi and Mercedes-Benz took centre stage, CES showed that technology within cars has too gained a domestic touch. One interesting example was audio technology enabling different passengers to experience different music, with little spill onto the positions of other people in the vehicle. This could eradicate the common disagreements over music choice among families, allowing dad to listen to Oasis while his teenage son chooses The 1975.
Wearable technology continues to hold its appeal too. Traditionally, smart watches have been the wearable devices used to track our own fitness, but this year’s CES showed that there’s much more choice of wearable that will soon be available. Among the fitness-focused creations were socks measuring the pressure on the wearer’s feet before giving guidance on the style of running. It seems that we can now turn to technology for advice on all aspects of our health and fitness. However, manufacturers mustn’t lose sight of what consumers want. Take the belt that measures our waist and then informs us when we should lose weight for example? There’s only so much about our health that we’d like a computer to point out to us, so I’m not sure how much this trend will develop! However original products like this will undoubtedly continue to gain the attention of tech press, particularly ones that feed our obsessions such as fitness.
Alex Brown has just started his career at Skout PR and will be a regular contributor to the Skout blog.
