My Favorite Things from CES 2025

Hey Friends,

CES (formerly known as the Consumer Electronics Show) is one of the largest and most influential technology trade shows in the world. It is held annually in Las Vegas, Nevada, and serves as a platform for companies to showcase their latest innovations in consumer technology. CES originally stood for Consumer Electronics Show, but the name was officially shortened to just "CES" to reflect its broader focus beyond traditional consumer electronics.

CES brings together technology companies, startups, investors, and media from all over the world. It’s a launchpad for new products and innovations in areas like AI, robotics, smart home tech, wearables, gaming, health tech, automotive tech, and more.

My overall synopsis is here: CES is a melting pot of great engineering, world class marketing and thought leadership. That said, the majority of what you see doesn’t truly come to market as expected or initially believed. Artificial intelligence is everywhere at this year’s CES, powering innovations in smart homes, automotive, healthcare, and beyond. Major brands and startups alike are showcasing how AI is integrated into nearly every facet of modern tech, but it is quickly becoming table stakes for marketing collateral. Most consumers have no idea what AI is doing for them in their IoT products and even fewer will use it to a tenth of it’s potential.

There is so much consumer robotic and vacuum technology at CES. It’s nauseating and I am struggling to understand the market for it. Dyson, and those like it, already sold at a premium, I cant image there are many consumers chomping at the bit to spend several thousand dollars.

There are also smart glasses everywhere, which I also struggle to understand the market. Smart glasses are perfect for trade shows like CES, or rather any event where point of view video capture can be used as a social tool. But they are in a category that has been dominated by fashion rather than function, and functionally the cell phone works better for the typical “influencer”.

CES is the pulse of the consumer electronics world, and is a great sounding block for the future of the electronics industry.

Product Categories Highlighted:

• TVs, laptops, gaming devices, smartphones, and tablets.

• Smart home devices and IoT (Internet of Things) innovations.

• Automotive technology, including electric vehicles (EVs), self-driving systems, and mobility solutions.

• Emerging tech in AI, AR (augmented reality), VR (virtual reality), and robotics.

• Health tech, wearables, and fitness gadget

The first video cassette recorder (VCR) was introduced at CES in 1970. CD players (1981), HDTV (1998), and Blu-ray (2004) were also unveiled at CES.

Here were some of my favorite things