CES 2016 preview: Automotive technology and augmented reality will take center stage

Every year at the beginning of the year, Las Vegas attracts the attention of the global technology community. Yes, the annual CES Consumer Electronics Show is about to kick off in the gambling city. As a barometer of consumer electronics products at the beginning of each year, this year we will once again see the development trend of consumer electronics products throughout 2016. In addition to notebooks, home appliances, smartphones and wearable devices, which have become mainstream product forms, this year a large number of automobile manufacturers and virtual reality equipment technologies will be unveiled at CES.

On the eve of the opening of CES 2016, let’s take a look at what new products and technologies we will see.

computer

In the past few years, hybrid notebooks have been developing and getting better and better, such as Lenovo Yoga series, Surface Pro 4 and Book launched by Microsoft this year, which have made great progress in design and user experience. On the other hand, consumers have also realized that mobile tablets cannot completely replace desktop systems, which is also an opportunity for Windows hybrid notebooks.

In addition, Intel released the Compute Stick at CES 2015, a mini PC that can run Windows 8 smoothly and is not much bigger than a USB flash drive. Its simple user experience and low price have been welcomed by many users. The Chromebit recently released by ASUS is a Chrome computer stick priced at $100, which has also received good reviews.

It is expected that in 2016, more portable computers will be available on the market, which can help small businesses reduce costs, or be targeted at business users who travel frequently, and can also be used as a tool for young children to learn computer knowledge. We look forward to more improvements in the second generation of products, including performance, ease of use, heat dissipation, etc., and we also hope that their prices will remain so affordable.

Generally speaking, there are one or two surprising PC products at the CES every year, even if they are conceptual, such as Razer's modular PC. Although not all of them can become consumer products, the exploration of manufacturers is undoubtedly necessary. After all, personal computers have been around for many years and have not yet ushered in a truly revolutionary evolution. In addition, mobile products have eroded their market share, so people need to see something new.

Automotive Technology

At this year's CES, we see that the lineup of automakers will become even more powerful. And IHS Research also predicts that human-machine interface, artificial intelligence and autonomous driving functions will be the themes of automotive technology at this year's CES.

Augmented reality is more than just a buzzword. It will appear in a variety of devices, including new cars. Nvidia and Intel are expected to bring new processors for automotive platforms at CES, which is expected to make automotive augmented reality applications a reality.

At the same time, more and more cases show that advanced human-computer interaction interfaces can help improve the driving experience. For example, Audi's virtual cockpit technology. Not only augmented reality, but also advanced voice recognition systems based on cloud computing and gesture recognition by adding in-car cameras and sensors can elevate the driving experience to a different dimension.

In addition, Apple CarPlay and Google Android Auto will still be the mainstream in-vehicle platforms at CES 2016. Since the launch of the two major automotive platforms, they have largely affected the development of automobile manufacturers' own platforms. Seamlessly converting content on mobile devices to the automotive platform is obviously a more convenient experience for consumers.

Imaging Products

Although imaging products have their own professional exhibitions, they will also be a very noteworthy area at this year's CES. Unlike previous years, drone-based, virtual/augmented reality shooting technologies and equipment will emerge, and new photosensitive element technologies are also expected, which will have a more positive impact on the entire digital imaging industry.

IDC once predicted that the sales volume of digital cameras in 2016 is expected to be only about 6 million units, which is obviously a huge decline compared with the sales volume of 35 million units in 2009. Smartphones have seriously undermined the influence of the traditional imaging market. In order to cope with the erosion of smartphones, digital imaging manufacturers have made changes and launched portable consumer models with large-size photosensitive components and high image quality, thus forming a clear distinction from mobile phones; of course, high-end digital SLR cameras still have a certain market, but this is not enough to consolidate the market of traditional digital cameras.

New photosensitive element technology will become the first opportunity for digital camera manufacturers. For example, Light L16, a new digital camera with 52 million pixels and multiple photosensitive elements and lenses, can provide shooting performance comparable to full-frame SLR. In fact, the entire industry has been waiting for photosensitive elements with better image quality and stronger performance to change the form of traditional digital cameras. Light's new technology obviously has great potential.

Secondly, the popularity of drones and virtual/augmented reality has also opened up another world for the digital imaging market. Data shows that sports camera products have actually replaced compact cameras and have a wide range of application scenarios, including drones. With the popularity of virtual reality in 2016, 360-degree cameras can be used as content provision devices, which also has great market prospects.

There are also new camera devices that are worth paying attention to. Sony, Olympus, DxO and other manufacturers have launched camera accessories that are attached to smartphones. In essence, they are fully-equipped digital cameras with more outstanding photosensitive elements and lenses. They can be connected to mobile phones via WIFI to expand the shooting experience and enhance the image quality. Similar devices also have a certain market space and are expected to gain more attention from users in the future.

television

TV products have always been the most eye-catching booth at CES. With the popularity of 4K TV, ultra-high-definition resolution is no longer an absolute magic weapon for competition. Consumers want to see more realistic colors and deep pictures. Obviously, OLED TV can do it, but its price is still high and there are some technical problems that are difficult to solve for the time being; and new LCD panel technologies such as quantum dots are not omnipotent.

Therefore, HDR technology has gradually come onto the stage. In addition to TV manufacturers already starting to lay out HDR TV product lines, HDR-specific film and television resources are also on the way, and some streaming services have already started to provide HDR content. Cnet believes that CES 2016 is undoubtedly the best platform for TV manufacturers to showcase new image technologies. It is expected that more TVs supporting HDR will appear, and streaming media manufacturers will not miss this promotional opportunity and will assist TV manufacturers in showcasing more exclusive resources based on HDR.

On the field, the main competition in the field of television is still between the two Korean electronics giants, Samsung and LG. In recent years, LG has been promoting OLED and HDR technology, committed to reducing costs and solving technical problems, and has a place in the current high-end TV market. The old rival Samsung is promoting SUHD TV with integrated quantum dots, claiming that it has higher brightness, no less colorful, and has a broader prospect.

***, smart TV platforms also need attention. Last year, manufacturers including Sony and Sharp joined the Google camp and launched Android TV, while Samsung and LG focused on their own Tizen and Web OS 3.0 respectively. It can be seen that smart TVs are also developing in the direction of platformization, which is more conducive to improving the user experience of smart TVs.

Virtual Reality and Augmented Reality

Virtual reality and augmented reality are getting closer to mainstream technology. We expect them to play a big role at CES this year. HTC has already launched wireless controllers for the HTC Vive and plans to sell them by the end of the year, so the company may not bring new virtual reality products to CES 2016.

Sony's Project Morpheus and its Move controllers are likely to appear at this year's CES. In addition, Oculus Rift will likely accelerate its pace and launch its own consumer version of the headset and Oculus Touch controllers early next year. Microsoft HoloLens and Google Cardboard technology derivatives, as well as third-party developers in the field of virtual reality, may bring us new interactive experiences. Samsung is also expected to bring us an updated version of Gear VR.

When it comes to virtual reality hardware products, we have to mention the 360-degree video capture magic GoPro. GoPro is already developing their own 360-degree virtual reality camera equipment, and other third-party developers may also bring new ideas.

Wearable devices

Like virtual reality, wearables are all the rage. We've seen the arrival of high-end smartwatches like Apple Watch, and we've also seen the emergence of mass-market fitness trackers like Microsoft Band. Perhaps a few years ago, smartphones didn't need a smartwatch, but now that's different, smartwatches and fitness trackers are everywhere, and they've "shared" a large part of the role of smartphones. Therefore, we expect to see new wearables at CES 2016. Pebble Steel has already been released at CES, and later Pebble Time, so it may be hard to see Pebble bringing us new products.

However, Android Wear may become the main force at this CES. Samsung has always been a heavyweight company at CES. This company may bring us the long-rumored Orbis. This smart watch is said to be equipped with a camera, which can recognize objects, pictures and barcodes. It also has health tracking, can serve as a car key, TV remote control and other functions. Turning the bezel can also change the screen interface. In addition, we cannot ignore LG, which may also bring new smart watches. Of course, there are also sports tracker manufacturers such as Fitbit. If nothing unexpected happens, they may also bring new products.

Smart Home

Smart home technology has advanced over the past year, but these products have yet to enter users' homes. Big platforms such as Apple HomeKit and Google Brillo will integrate our smart devices into easy-to-use systems, but the development may not be too fast. Meanwhile, competitors, including Samsung Tizen and LG webOS, are building their own "walled gardens."

For CES, this means a reorganization of smart home devices. New products will solve users' problems and bring value when they are interconnected, but they may not be very interconnected. There will undoubtedly be many manufacturers launching products compatible with HomeKit and Amazon Echo, but only truly practical products can achieve breakthroughs.

Smartphone

If you are most interested in smartphones, CES may not be the most noteworthy technology show, because most manufacturers will launch their important products at the MWC in February, or hold a separate press conference. Take Samsung as an example. The Korean manufacturer may show the new flagship Galaxy S7 behind closed doors at CES, and then officially release it through an independent press conference to get the most attention. In addition to the flagship series, we should also see the mid-range phone Galaxy A9 that was recently certified by the FCC. It uses a 6-inch display and an octa-core Snapdragon 620 processor.

In recent years, LG has been more willing to show off its new hardware at CES. They released the improved G Flex 2 curved phone last year, but there aren't many rumors about LG at the moment, so we don't have any special expectations for new phones. But then again, they might bring some surprises.

Drones

Drones stole the show at last year's CES, with the organizing committee even setting up a special area for manufacturers to showcase their products. This year, the number and diversity of drones on display are expected to increase significantly. If the main focus of drones in 2015 was on photography, this year's focus is on special features: infrared cameras, rescue drones, and super-large and super-small models.

In addition, virtual reality and 360-degree cameras will be two auxiliary functions worth paying attention to, which will bring more immersive aerial videos. In addition to big manufacturers such as DJI and Parrot, some new faces will also appear at this exhibition.

robot

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We see all kinds of home robots at the CES every year, some of which can sweep the floor, some can sprinkle water, and some can detect thieves who attempt to break into the house. As technology develops, we will also see more powerful service robots, which will make our homes cleaner and safer.

This year, we expect to see some robots suitable for children. They are not toys, but companion robots with high artificial intelligence that can participate in children's education. In addition, robot manufacturers have also set their sights on pets. If you don't have much time to accompany your pets at home, you can buy a virtual playground for them to play by themselves.