Friday, January 08, 2010

CES 2010 rundown - Part 1.

Wow.

What to say about this years consumer electronics show. I've been trying to formulate my words every since I got on the plane. I want to be bitchy and say this is my last year. I doubt that will be true. I've been orbiting CES for half my life. I've only gotten to go the last 4, but I've spent the rest of my career wishing I could go.

As much as this year sucked - I know there must have been periods of equal suckage and things will eventually get better. I just got lucky enough to go in some exceptional years.

This years CES is more notable for what wasn't there - than what was.

Less techy.
Less slutty. Normally the AVN (adult video nominees) are interspersed with all the techies. Think what you want about them - they make the place more interesting. It is Vegas after all.
Less smokey.
Less people.
Less booth babes.

And, most disappointingly. No bad ass cars.

Some may think it weird to go to a consumer electronics show to see cars. But these are the kinds of cars you would never see anywhere else. Take for example this Scythe Concept Car from last year.

Replaced instead by team Greenpeace and friends. I don't know how on earth these people got in. But then, the show this year was less about the actual concept of consumer electronics, and more about..."as seen on TV". As I will show you later.

You didn't think I was going to gush about the electronics when it wasn't deserved. Did you? Well, there are a million people covering 3D. Go look at their blogs. I covered that last year.





The thing that is so supremely frustrating about this whole thing is - it feels like and exact repeat from last years Maker Faire. You can read about it here.

I haven't even completely figured out how to completely articulate it yet. But it's so maddening. The green movement hijacks something that is so amazingly innovative and special and creative and says "you can't have that. You are evil and bad for wanting it." And because they are complete assholes, they smother it completely to death.

So honestly. There were probably 20 cars there total. Some were plug ins. I guess there was a Lambo and a Ferrari. But that isn't what you go to CES to see.

Why would I pay to go to Vegas to see that shit anyway? This is what greeted me in the San Fransisco airport parking lot when I got home. Two Tesla roadsters. One I didn't even take a picture of because I didn't know there was going to be a theme. And a Ferrari.





I took this shot so you could see the one Tesla and the Ferrari were parked in direct sight two rows apart.



Having said all that - I'm still glad I went. No one could have convinced me how bad the product cycle was going to be for the year. Really, really bleak. But, if you want a cell phone cover. You are going to be all set!

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