Looking ahead, we have 11 answers after CES 2024

The annual CES is coming to an end. For this exhibition, Lei Technology has released 10 in-depth reports, covering new product information, trend observation, exhibition experience, etc., and received a lot of feedback. There is so much information that Xiaolei wants to share about this CES. Today, Lei Technology’s rear reporting team compiled the 11 most important questions about this CES. Xiaolei answered them on the spot, hoping to help you quickly understand this consumer electronics session. Extravaganza.

Q1: What trends have you seen in consumer electronics?

The full name of CES is "Consumer Electronics Show" and is regarded as the global benchmark for consumer electronics. What “wind direction” does Xiaolei (ID: leitech) see this year?

#After a few days of visiting, the technology trends at CES 2024 are actually very concentrated and prominent. In addition to the AI ​​language model and related hardware that everyone has mentioned countless times, digital health and energy storage products are also highlights of CES 2024.

Picture source: Lei Technology

Let’s talk about digital health first part. In fact, "health" has become one of the keywords of CES since 2020, and products in the field of digital health are indispensable among the innovation gold awards selected by CES every time. Unlike other industries, digital health is more or less related to medical treatment, and the rigorous and conservative development of medical technology also limits the technological progress of digital medical products to a certain extent. To give the simplest example, Apple Watch was almost banned from sale some time ago due to patent disputes in the health field.

Picture source: Lei Technology

But at this CES , I still see a large number of innovative products in the fields of digital health and medicine. For example, the "anti-snoring pillow" that shone brightly in the preview and attracted the attention of many media and industry audiences is an EEG sensing and analysis device that takes a new approach to the brain circuit instead of the neural circuit. Obviously, some of these technologies still need to be polished, and we will not be able to see corresponding products in a short time. But looking at the overall "historical process", every investment in our digital health industry will eventually be rewarded in the future.

It is indeed unexpected that energy storage products receive such high attention at CES. But if you think about it carefully, this may be due to different consumption habits caused by different national conditions and consumption environments. With the country’s excellent infrastructure, it is almost impossible for us to face water and power outages. But in the U.S. market, this type of product may be a necessity.

In fact, AI, health and energy are also the three core trends in the technology industry: AI is the future of Internet technology and even digital technology, and the big model is in full swing in 2023; health is biotechnology To achieve the goal, technology giants have all invested heavily in the layout; behind energy are the booming new energy vehicles and "dual carbon" industries. AI, health and energy are all related to the fate of mankind and the earth, and are the original intention of technology to change life.

Q2: What is the most impressive product at this CES?

Considering that many companies exhibiting at CES 2024 are still "technology prototypes" and there are no mature products to display, so here is Xiaolei (ID: leitech) I would like to discuss the issue into "technology" and "product".

In terms of technology, what impressed me the most was the EEG structural technology demonstrated by the WIMAGINE department of the French company CEA. In my opinion, this technology has the potential to change the development process of prosthetics in the future. Current "digital prostheses" usually use the muscle movements of the residual limb as the input device, and analyze the muscle movements to trigger corresponding working modes, such as reaching out, raising legs and squatting. More complex and critical movements, such as grasping, are not possible due to lack of precision. In addition, paralyzed patients with damaged spines cannot move again even if their limbs are intact.

Picture source: Lei Technology

Some companies are trying to use neurons -The computer (neural interface) method obtains action signals from the nerve level and uses them to command the corresponding digital prostheses. However, the technology demonstrated by WIMAGINE provides a "relatively minimally invasive" electrical signal solution that only opens the skull without entering the brain. After replacing a small piece of skull with a device, the signal capture device can wirelessly sense the electrical signals of the cerebral cortex. The relevant electrical signals can be directly used to drive human exoskeletons or digital prostheses after being analyzed by external decoding devices. Using "minimally invasive" This method builds an external "digital nerve" for users, allowing patients to restore certain motor skills.

In terms of products, the one that impressed me the most was LG’s wireless 4K transparent TV. Of course I know that this technology currently has little use other than showing off skills. But just like LG’s row of lift-and-reel TVs shocked the crowd at CES back then, this time LG once again took advantage of OLED: the brighter transparent OLED T panel makes the transparent screen also have good readability, and is wireless Who also allows OED T TV to have more freedom of installation. Although I can't think of any reason why OLED T is necessary, when 15 transparent TVs perform "puzzle" in front of me, I still think "this is cool."

Picture source: Lei Technology

But what I have to say is , Domestic display giants such as TCL and Hisense also demonstrated their powerful display technologies at CES - especially Mini LED and other display technologies that China has a dominant position in, also showing strong vitality. Although it is not as cool as LG’s transparent display technology, it is more practical and has been implemented in many mass-produced products. Regarding this, you can click "TCL, Hisense, Samsung and LG to fight, display giants are crazy about CES 2024" to learn more.

#Q3: Which booths are more popular? What are the possible reasons?

Since the exhibition halls of different brands have different sizes, and some brands also strictly implement the "invitation only" testimonials on public days, we cannot directly compare the differences based on the number of people. Booth popularity. However, according to the observation of Xiao Lei (ID: leitech), compared to the “ethereal” PPT displays and technical explanations, AR glasses that can be experienced in person clearly attract more viewers.

People of all ages and genders eagerly lined up to experience the AR glasses after seeing them from Thunderbird, XREAL and other brands. Even local TV stations highlighted AR glasses when covering CES 2024 news.

Photo source: Lei Technology

After communicating with overseas media and audiences During the communication, Xiaolei found that they seemed not very interested in the metaverse concept behind AR glasses, and did not regard it as an immersive metaverse experience device. Instead, they hoped to use it as a "smart bracelet" similar to Auxiliary display devices. After experiencing Thunderbird X2, an overseas media said to Xiao Lei:

"It's cool to be able to display the Switch game screen in front of your eyes anytime, anywhere. But. In comparison, I prefer its (AR glasses) AI translation and subtitle functions."

Q4: How is the presence of domestic hard technology brands at CES 2024? ? Are there any new faces that impress you?

There are actually not many domestic brands appearing at CES 2024, which can be mainly divided into three categories:

1. Well-known hardware brands with great influence in the global market, such as TCL, Hisense, Shokz, and Angel;

2. Brands that have gained influence in domestic market segments and hope to continue to develop overseas business , such as Baseus, Green Alliance, Ecovacs, Cloud Whale, Thunderbird;

3. to B Company, domestic suppliers who hope to obtain overseas orders, such as a number of batteries and speakers from Shenzhen and Dongguan , electronic control companies.

As for new faces, I think the sub-brand XEO incubated by Dynaudio can be counted as one - it must be noted here that Dynaudio was originally founded by a group of electronics companies such as Wilfried Ehrenholz. Sound Engineer was founded in Denmark in 1977. In 2014, it was acquired by my country's Goertek, creating the largest acquisition in the domestic audio industry. In the past 10 years, under the helm of Goertek, Dynaudio has been conquering the desktop and vehicle fields, and at the same time actively incubating acoustic consumer sub-brands, XEO is one of them.

As an extremely young start-up brand, XEO came up with a Dolby Atmos cockpit that left a deep impression on me in a very short period of time. It uses mathematics to push the acoustic performance of the product to a whole new level, which even makes Dolby enthusiasts like Xiao Lei who go to Dolby Cinemas feel "awesome".

Picture source: Lei Technology

Q5: Is there anything this year? A refreshing new category?

From a category perspective, AI and digital health will continue to dominate CES in the future, but when it comes to which products will explode in a short period of time, I think they should It is a variety of household energy storage products.

#At CES 2024, every few steps I took I could find various energy storage products in nearby booths. The energy storage mentioned here is not the power banks we commonly use, but household energy storage and outdoor power consumption products. In everyone's perception, we generally only use this kind of home energy storage product when camping outdoors or in rare cases of power outage. But at CES 2024, brands found new usage scenarios for energy storage products.

Image source: Lei Technology

In addition to responding to climate change and emergency disaster relief, home energy storage products can also improve the family’s Energy economy: The electricity generated by solar power generation during the day is stored by energy storage products and can be used at night; if the local area provides sustainable "green energy" during a certain period of time, we can store the green electricity and use it at other times; even You can save electricity at night when electricity is cheap and use it during the day.

Q6: Which old consumer electronics brands impress you?

If classified according to "classic consumer electronics brands", I would like to focus on the Sony and TCL brands.

As a relatively "traditional" company, Sony did not release its iconic TV at CES this year, and did not even have a TV booth, but it held a press conference before the show. They introduced their support projects in film, television, audio and digital creation at length. For example, Torchlight is a new groundbreaking advanced visualization space that uses Sony's latest patented technology in cooperation with Epic Games' Unreal Engine to serve creators, such as virtual production and IP film and television.

Picture source: Lei Technology

And TCL targets young people Marketing is more direct: TCL has in-depth cooperation with the American sports market, creating a large amount of native content around young groups, using content to attract consumers, and allowing consumers to recognize TCL's brand value from the bottom of their hearts. In addition, TCL is also the traditional TV brand with the most “game” exhibition areas at CES 2024 besides Sony. With this all-round investment in publicity, TCL has achieved youthful marketing in the North American market that is difficult to replicate.

Image source: Lei Technology

Q7: AI large model hardware Is it a gimmick? What is the difference between AI hardware and smart hardware?

There are indeed more and more AI products in CES 2024, and concepts such as AI PC are very popular. Judging from the experience, this AI storm set off by AI LLM is definitely not a temporary gimmick, but an opportunity that can subvert traditional human-computer interaction. For example, the Time Pot X1, which Xiaolei (ID: leitech) experienced at the CES 2024 Media Day, uses an extremely efficient AI engine to subvert the "human-machine-human" process of traditional translation devices. For detailed experience, you can click on "Riding on the east wind of AI, simultaneous interpretation is breaking through the "shackles of the Tower of Babel"" to learn more.

Photo source: Lei Technology

Intelligent hardware trend in 2014 Appeared before and after, Lei Technology was also a new media founded at that time focusing on smart hardware. However, the smart hardware at that time, from Nest acquired by Google to Dropcam, the originator of smart cameras, and a number of domestic smart Xs, were actually solving the problem of "interconnection and interoperability". "Human-computer interaction" issues, for example, you can use mobile apps to control air conditioners or lights.

Today, after large model technology matures, AI has stronger cognitive and perceptual capabilities, and can better understand people’s needs and perceive better The environment can even complete many unexpected tasks. For example, AI PC can make PPT for us, for example, AI car can truly realize fully autonomous driving, and for example, AI translator can completely replace simultaneous interpretation. Looking at it this way, the biggest difference between AI hardware and smart hardware is “real intelligence”.

Q8: Are there any XR products that are eye-catching? What are the current crux of development?

#Vision Pro is about to be released, and the dawn of XR seems to be brighter again.

Judging from the products displayed at CES 2024, the development of AR glasses has almost reached the limit allowed by current technical conditions. Take the Thunderbird X2 Lite as an example. The optical display solution uses a second-generation binocular full-color MicroLED diffractive optical waveguide. The body only weighs about 60g, which basically solves the pain points of AR glasses in the display and wearing experience, especially It is a common problem of FOV and readability in the past.

Picture source: Lei Technology

But in Xiaolei (www .leikeji.com) It seems that the main crux of the current AR glasses products is that their design is not "sensory" enough, and there is always some gap in style from normal glasses. In addition, the short battery life also affects the user experience to a certain extent.

Q9: Are there any cars on display that are eye-catching? Is there any black car technology worth sharing?

Cars have always been one of the focuses of CES. This year’s car-related technology displays at CES can be mainly divided into three categories:

1. Vehicle technology or concept demonstrations by KIA, VW and other OEMs;

2. Cockpit technology demonstrations by companies related to sensors and digital cockpits;

3. Smart Driving Company’s self-driving technology demonstration.

Picture source: Lei Technology

But in Xiaolei (ID : leitech) It seems that the most interesting automotive technology display during CES 2024 does not come from car companies, but from the concept car at the LG booth. Since LG’s brand positioning has nothing to do with traditional car companies and new forces, LG’s considerations for future self-driving cars are actually the most unreasonable in my opinion.

But when it comes to "interesting" automotive black technology, it has to be the Sony Honda Mobile AFEELA pure electric concept car that uses a PS5 controller to control autonomous driving at the media day. , this "game" is impressive. Technology should not just be some cold parameters or a stack of hardware, it can also be fun, interesting, cool, and make people happy.

Image source: Lei Technology

Q10: Chinese hardware brands going overseas What is the difficulty?

CES is the stage for the globalization of hardware. Domestic hardware brands that aim to go overseas all show off their muscles and look for business opportunities at CES.

During CES 2024, Xiaolei also had a special chat with a friend from a Chinese mobile phone accessories brand. Due to the different consumption habits of mobile phone accessories at home and abroad, their booth this year has strengthened the display of audio products, and will put audio products first in going overseas in the future.

Although Xiaolei believes that their hardware products have excellent sound quality and are quite distinctive, he also admitted that "the biggest competitiveness at present is price", and they still need to fight against big international brands. Price difference. In addition, their biggest competitors overseas are not the "big international brands" we imagined, but the cheaper "supermarket self-operated brands".

Photo source: Lei Technology

Special consumption habits in the United States Nowadays, offline and online brands such as Walmart and Amazon have their own OEM products. With shipments that are unrivaled, these large platforms can push prices to a level where “users don’t care about quality,” which also brings new challenges for domestic brands to go global.

Of course, colleagues from Xiaolei (ID: leitech) have written a 10,000-word article on the comprehensive review of domestic hardware brands going overseas. To take stock, if you are interested, you can click "CES is just the tip of the iceberg, Chinese hardware brands are killing all over the world" to read. I won't go into details here.

Q11: What is your biggest feeling after watching CES 2024?

#Three years after the epidemic, the “involution” of the consumer electronics market has increased instead of falling. Under this circumstance, the development trend of the industry is obviously shifting towards embracing new technological innovations and grasping the needs of young consumers. For example, environmentally friendly and green consumption habits have brought new opportunities to energy storage products. The younger consumer group also forces brands to change towards the habits of young consumers.

CES 2024 made it clear that the consumer electronics industry is rapidly adapting its product lines and market strategies to adapt to these changes. Especially in the fields of AI and medical care, we have seen various innovative attempts by global brands, large and small. They are not only technological breakthroughs, but also in-depth insights into the lifestyles of young consumers. For example, smart AR glasses integrated with advanced AI and smart pillows that use AI technology to improve sleep breathing.

Picture source: Lei Technology

Driven by the trend of globalization Today, consumer electronics companies are also actively expanding into international markets, which not only increases the international influence of brands, but also promotes technological and cultural exchanges. Overall, CES 2024 revealed a diversified, innovation-driven consumer electronics market. Despite the challenges, the industry as a whole shows strong recovery potential and development vitality, indicating that the next few years will be an important period of technological innovation and market transformation.

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