Las Vegas, NV—The 2013 International CES opened its doors to feature more than 3,250 exhibitors across 1.9 million net square feet of exhibit space, breaking both space and exhibitor records set last year. Major product launches from CE exhibitors and keynotes from the leaders of Panasonic, Verizon and the Next Generation of Innovators panelists kicked off the 2013 International CES on January 8, 2012. Owned and produced by the Consumer Electronics Association (CEA), the 2013 CES runs through January 11 in Las Vegas, Nevada.
“Opening day of CES was abuzz with products and technologies that allow seamless connection to devices so that we can do everything from enjoy content to monitor health and find smarter ways to manage our homes,” said Karen Chupka, senior vice president of International CES and corporate business strategy.
“Some 20,000 new products will launch this week at the 2013 International CES and we couldn’t be more excited to kick off this record-breaking show,” said Gary Shapiro, president and CEO, CEA. “CES has an incredible story to tell with every major technology company spanning the globe participating in this year’s CES to showcase their innovations.”
Shapiro delivered the State of the Consumer Electronics Industry address Tuesday morning. He projected that CE industry revenues will reach a record-high $209.6 billion, domestically, up nearly 3% from an estimated $203.9 billion for 2012. He compared the strength of the 2013 CES to the success of the global technology industry, which will exceed $1 trillion in 2013.
Shapiro cited innovation as the cornerstone to global industry and economic growth. To stay in front of the pace of innovation, he noted that top companies must operate as an elite strike force, going beyond the ordinary to perform truly extraordinary tasks and take risks along the way.
Panasonic Corp.’s president, Kazuhiro Tsuga, took the stage for the opening keynote, discussing Panasonic's contribution to consumer life beyond the living room. Solutions for home energy, in-vehicle connectivity and energy efficiency, business, in-flight connectivity and infotainment and energy for the community were all highlighted.
Tsuga was joined by journalist Lisa Ling, who served as a moderator for the morning. Among others who took the stage were Panasonic’s CEO of North America, Joe Taylor; Tim Vanderhook, cofounder, president and CEO of Specific Media; Phil Abram, chief infotainment officer, General Motors; former CEO of Air New Zeland, Ron Fyfe, and Mayor Cory Booker of Newark, New Jersey. Tsuga and Taylor showcased several innovative Panasonic products making their debut at CES, including the world’s first 4K OLED TV and Panasonic’s 20-inch 4K tablet.
The Next Generation of Innovators keynote highlighted CES as the home for entrepreneurs and featured Jeff Jordan, a partner at Andreessen Horowitz, as moderator. It included executive/founder David Lieb of Bump Technologies, Cyrus Massoumi of ZocDoc, Eric Vishira of RockMelt and will.i.am of i.am.plus,llc. The panel openly discussed ideas for businesses, company culture, the role of mobile and what the government can do to help promote innovation. The panel agreed that kids should be encouraged to become entrepreneurs. Much of the discussion revolved around anticipation of future innovations and facilitating a culture and products to prepare for it.
Verizon’s chairman and CEO, Lowell McAdam took the stage Tuesday afternoon for his CES keynote address. McAdam addressed the numerous ways in which Verizon’s network is engaged, including facilitating video anywhere, creating a jukebox for the TV, working with the NFL to have the Super Bowl broadcast via mobile in 2014, realizing machine-to-machine communication with the connected environment and supporting Ford Sync’s open platform with the vision of having the car get to know the driver, as opposed to the other way around.
CNET’s Molly Wood and Brian Cooley presented the 10th annual Next Big Thing at the 2013 CES with an executive panel that featured Mark Cuban of HDNet, James Fishler of LG, Sheryl Connelly of Ford and Fared Adib of Sprint. The executives debated the post-mobile future and discussed the benefits of a connected world, how close we are from that future and the challenges of getting there. Personalized medicine and a simple, more streamlined experience featuring smart, connected platforms were two of the applications discussed. The panel agreed that the post-mobile future should feature devices that are easy, pervasive and affordable.
Prior to opening day, Qualcomm’s chairman and CEO, Dr. Paul Jacobs, delivered the preshow keynote address on Monday evening to highlight the company’s mobile roots. “We are at the heart of mobile devices that are the center of everything you do,” said Jacobs. He was joined on stage by Microsoft's president and CEO, Steve Ballmer to demo Microsoft Windows products that include the Qualcomm Snapdragon 10 processor. The Snapdragon 800 will be a premium processor for tablets, smartphones and full PCs and leverage the power of LTE, Oltra HD and 7.1 surround.
It was a star-studded event with preview clips from two upcoming motion pictures. Celebrity appearances were made by director Guillermo Del Toro, NASCAR’s Brad Keselowski and Marc Jenkins, Star Trek Into the Darkness actor Alice Eve, and Scott Chambers and Big Bird from Sesame Street. The event capped off with a performance by Adam Levine and two other members of the multi-platinum, three-time Grammy Award winning band Maroon 5. ce.org
