On the eve of the 2012 International CES, I had a chance to speak with Gary Shapiro, CEO of the hosting Consumer Electronics Association, who discussed his hopes for the show and his worries about the tech industry.
This year, officials estimate the show will attract over 140,000 attendees, more than 2,700 exhibitors, and feature around 20,000 new product introductions, but Shapiro seemed confident that the actual number will be higher. (In 2006, the show welcomed a record 152,000 attendees. For this year, we will have preliminary numbers late in the week and audited numbers in the fall). In terms of space, this year's show so far has 1.851 million net square feet of space, just shy of the record 1.857 million in 2008. This makes it one of the largest trade shows in the world by any measure.
Shapiro is particularly excited about the concept of the connected car, as the car is becoming the largest consumer electronics hub outside the home. Six of the top 10 car companies are exhibiting at the show, Shapiro said.
Also of interest to Shapiro is the next generation of video. Almost half the TV sets sold this year are expected to be smart TVs, which will feature technical changes like new display technology and 4K resolution.
Shapiro expects to see big innovations in haptics, as well, as feedback promises to change user interfaces.
I asked if Microsoft's decision to taper its presence at the show in coming years worried him, and Shapiro asserted that Microsoft will continue to be part of the show. The company's streak of keynotes is quite unusual, and he expects that the company will be back keynoting within the next decade.
Many companies who were not on the exhibit show floor itself—including Google, Twitter, and Amazon—actually had a big contingent at the show. Even though Apple isn't at the show, over 300 companies in the Apple ecosystem are part of the show's iLounge.
Shapiro, who authored The Comeback, aims to improve innovation in this country. He would like to see Congress focus on what's best for the country, not for individual parties. There is broad agreement in a number of areas, he said, such as auctioning more wireless spectrum and strategic immigration (allowing green cards for recipients of post-graduate degrees in science and technology areas), but still the legislation hasn't passed. Shapiro admits he is worried about "anti-innovation" legislation such as SOPA.