By Laura Kobylecky

In an online session entitled “CES 2022 Tech Trends to Watch,” Steve Koenig VP of Research at the Consumer Technology Association (CTA) talks about the behaviors, global trends, and emerging technologies to watch out for this year.

Consumers Level Up

One trend that Koenig observes is consumers “leveling up” their technology in a sort of “home makeover.” situation. He describes this overall trend by saying that consumers “want a 21st-century lifestyle.”

Consumers leveling up their technology in a sort of home makeover situation #TechTrends #CES2022
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This lifestyle may include “smart technology.” People are purchasing more IoT technology in order to have a connected home that serves their needs and wants more efficiently. These smart technology devices may have “attached services” instead of being “just a simple, dumb, device.”

These devices include things like “connected fitness.” Products like this can track progress of individuals with IoT tech or be connected to online experiences.   Koenig explains that “research has shown if you buy one or two products you tend to want more.” So, after these smart home purchases are made, these customers may continue to expand their ownership in that area. Koenig emphasizes that this trend is a worldwide phenomenon.

The average consumer now subscribes to 8 streaming services #TechTrends #CES2022
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More growth has also occurred in the field of “premium brands.” Koenig describes this as a “simmering” trend that has risen over time. He points to Beats headphones and Nintendo Switch as good examples of premium brands that has been embraced by consumers. According to Koenig, consumers want that premium brand experience, and “maybe we’re willing to open our wallets a little bit wider to get that,” he says, adding that this trend increased with the pandemic as more and more people decided to level up their tech.

Another area of growth is the increasing use of subscription services. Koenig says that “customers’ zeal for services” is growing in the socially distant world. The average customer is subscribed to eight services. These “pandemic pivots” are a “product of this season of the pandemic” and according to Koenig, this increasing use of subscription services is set to continue into the future.

Fixing Problems

One pandemic trend that Koenig hopes will end soon, is the issue of the “supply chain.” He shows a chart highlighting how this issue has increased during the pandemic.

Technology could help address future supply chain issues so that they don't affect the industry so badly as they have done during the pandemic #TechTrends #CES2022
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The chart also shows that shipping costs are already going down, so the trend may not remain so severe in the future. He mentions some technology solutions that could relate to this issue, like the possible use of “autonomous trucks.” He says that several companies at CES may be relevant to that future.

Another issue in the supply chain is the “chip shortage.” Koenig says that some semiconductor fabrication plants are responding by increasing their productivity, adding additional shifts to increase production. He also mentions that new chip fabs are being built, but that this solution will take years to address the issue. Rome wasn’t built in a day and neither are semiconductor fabrication plants.

Trends in Innovation and Industry

 Koenig also sees some larger, relevant, and potentially-positive trends. 5G is a part of this vision. He explains that 5G will “provide the connective tissue for a lot of innovation in this decade.” This 5G wireless generation will be a bit unique in that it is turning away from the previous generations’ “consumer focus.” 5G is “the first wireless generation that will be led by the enterprise and not by the consumer” according to Koenig.

The “real value of 5G” is “the enterprise quotient” and the possible use of this technology in things like industrial IoT #CES2022 #TechTrends
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He says the “real value of 5G” is “the enterprise quotient” and the possible use of this technology in things like industrial IoT. Industry can use IoT to keep their production connected in real-time using the increased connectivity made possible by 5G. Also, data centers are increasingly pushing more things to the cloud and 5G will be crucial in making that happen efficiently.

Another big trend that Koenig mentions is the growth of AI. He says that it’s getting better and better, and that this may allow for transformative new applications and use cases. He uses the “see and spray” function of the new John Deere tractor presented at CES 2022 as a good example of this: This function uses AI to differentiate between plants and weeds and targets pesticides at the weeds, reducing the overall pesticide use.

And of course, the Metaverse

Koenig sees the Metaverse as “the next generation of the Internet that will convey increasingly immersive digital experiences.” This Internet will “become inextricably linked with our physical reality,” he says.

According to Koenig, “the metaverse is closer than you think” and “the building blocks are already present and in place.” According to his reckoning, haptics and volumetric video technology will help make the metaverse more realistic and immersive. Cloud technology combined with the “robust connectivity” of 5G will make this world more possible. He cheekily reminds the audience that “Ready Player One was set in the year 2045,” so perhaps we should begin to anticipate that future.

The Metaverse is the next generation of the Internet that will convey increasingly immersive digital experiences #CES2022 #TechTrends
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CES 2022 may be over, but the online content and video on demand sessions remain available until January 31. And CES remains an interesting place to become aware of the future of technology. Keep your eyes wide open to see which of these trends continue and which of these predictions come true in 2022.

Laura Kobylecky is a contributing writer to Tech Trends. She is particularly interested in new and emerging technology and culture. Connect with her on LinkedIn 

The post #CES2022 Tech Trends to Watch appeared first on Tech Trends.

By Laura Kobylecky

CES In Person 2022

In 2021, CES shifted to an online platform They replicated some of the experiences with video feeds, live chat and some interactive experiences.

This year CES became a hybrid event. On December 22, The Consumer Technology Association (CTA) confirmed that there would indeed be an in person CES event in Las Vegas on January 5-8. This event was to be paired with the online version that would include “digital access” to their online venue.

#CES2022 received 42 exhibitor cancellations for their in-person event
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They had received 42 exhibitor cancellations for their in-person event. Their press released emphasized that this was “less than 7% of our exhibit floor” and that they’ve had “added 60 new exhibitors for our in person event.” CES explained that they were making steps to ensure “a socially distanced but worthwhile and productive event.” These steps included “vaccination requirement, masking, and availability of COVID-19 tests” as well as social distancing measures.

On December 25^th Gary Shapiro, president and CEO of the Consumer Technology Association (CTA) wrote an opinion piece for the Las Vegas Review-Journal discussing the decision to have an in person CES in 2022. He explained:

“CES will and must go on. It will have many more small companies than large ones. It may have big gaps on the show floor. Certainly, it will be different from previous years. It may be messy. But innovation is messy. It is risky and uncomfortable.

On December 31, 2021 CTA announced further safety measures for the event. They cut the last day of the event and announced that the new dates for the in-person event would be January 5-7, 2022. They confirmed that “All attendees must be FULLY vaccinated against COVID-19.” Anyone who was unable to show proof of COVID-19 vaccination would not receive a CES 2022 badge.

Attendees must pick up their own badges before entering CES show facilities. In order to receive the badge they must use “CLEAR’s free mobile app and Health Pass feature to provide proof of COVID-19 vaccination” or go to a designated Customer Service Center location or airport locations to show their COVID-19 vaccine documentation.

Innovation is messy. It is risky and uncomfortable #CES2022
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CES gave attendees one “complimentary Abbott BinaxNOW COVID-19 Antigen Self Test kit” which contains two tests, takes 15 minutes, and requires a “shallow nasal swab.” It was requested that the attendees take a COVID-19 test “less than 24 hours before entering a CES venue.”

The in-person event also has a variety of health and safety requirements. Attendees must wear masks in the exhibit facilities and booths, in keynote and conference rooms, and on the CES shuttles. Additionally CES provides “complimentary RT-PCR testing for attendees who are traveling back to their international destination and who require a test to travel.”

The list of companies that canceled their in-person presence includes:

• Lenovo
• T-Mobile
• Amazon
• Meta
• Intel
• General Motors
• Google
• AMD
• MSI
• Proctor & Gamble
• Twitter
• Pinterest
• iHeartRadio

Online CES

For the online CES experience, there are similarities to CES 2021. Like last year, there will be on-demand streaming content from the event and that content will remain active until January 31^st. Last year, on-demand streaming content was available throughout the duration of the conference.

#CES2022 attendees must wear masks in the exhibit facilities and booths, in keynote and conference rooms, and on the CES shuttles
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This year is different. As of January 7^th, most of the on-demand content is not yet available. CTA customer service confirmed via email that the on-demand content “will be uploaded within the next couple of days.”

However, at the moment, some of the some of the main keynotes are available for streaming including: Samsung Keynote, CTA State of the Industry Keynote, General Motors Keynote and Abbott Keynote

During the event, some of the sessions are live-streamed on the four available channels. There is a chat section where people watching can interact or comment. The digital venue includes an “explore” section where you can search through the list of exhibitors and attendees.

Once again CES has made an admirable attempt at adapting to an ever-shifting landscape and creating new experiences for the attendees
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On the exhibitor page, you may get a bit of information about the company, connect with some of their representatives or see some media or a press release. Some of the companies have microsites that were made specifically to support their CES presence. On the attendee page, you have to option to chat or connect with attendees.

For more social fun CES, added a “mingle” function. The “mingle” connects you to a total stranger who is a fellow attendee of CES. The introductions are based on “your profile,” most likely using the various “interests” that you can select. You have no idea who you are talking to beforehand, just allow access to your camera and microphone and enjoy the total surprise. The experience lasts for three minutes before you are connected to another unexpected person. After the chat, you have the option to “connect” with the person you spoke to.

Overall the online version of CES seems scaled back compared to 2021. The online experience will be enhanced when the on-demand streaming content becomes available. Once again CES has made an admirable attempt at adapting to an ever-shifting landscape and creating new experiences for the attendees.

Laura Kobylecky is a contributing writer to Tech Trends. She is particularly interested in new and emerging technology and culture. Connect with her on LinkedIn 

The post #CES2022: A Hybrid Event appeared first on Tech Trends.

By Laura Kobylecky

Normally, a convention like CES has a big expo hall with a variety of companies and promotional marketing techniques. This year, at online CES 2021, that has been replaced with a virtual exhibit hall. It is a section of the CES website where the exhibitors are listed alphabetically.

You can also narrow the exhibitors by category. Click on their name and you will go to a page with some basic info and whatever facts, media, and contact information they choose to provide. There is also a chat function available. Some of them have a “microsite,” a custom website they have created solely for their CES presence.

P&G LifeLab

Proctor and Gamble have taken it a step further. They created a virtual world, accessible as a microsite. It is called LifeLab. In some ways, it is the recreation of a basic experiential marketing event at a convention. There is an event “footprint,” a small area transformed into a branded space where they have demos. There are brand representatives roaming about and waiting to help or explain.

#CES2021 features a virtual exhibit hall
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When you first click on the microsite, you are offered the chance to modify your avatar. The standard is a genderless blue form in tan slacks and a black long-sleeve shirt. You enter an elevator and appear to be traveling through the void of space, except the stars are replaced by various P&G products.

You leave the elevator to enter a large white room. There you can go to other areas, like the strangely dark “Oral B” world. You walk up to videos and they show animated screens with bacteria and speak ominously about tooth decay. The audio is dimensional. As you turn to leave, the sound retreats quietly and in a spatially-correct direction.

Overall P&G's LifeLab it is an interestingly ambitious experiment in virtual experiential marketing
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On the main floor, you can speak with the representatives. If you stand still, they are likely to approach. They speak to you with real human voices and human names and you realize that these are probably actual humans. They offer to explain things to you and you can press space to speak. Or you can back away without speaking. Oddly enough, the experience seems slightly more awkward than avoiding a conversation in real life, perhaps because the room is so empty.

If you walk by other people, you can hear their conversations too. This experience is also rendered with appropriately dimensional sound. There are “private” sitting areas you can go to if you would like to speak without all ears on your conversation. There is also a chat function for those who choose not to speak.

Proctor and Gamble have created a virtual world, accessible as a micrositem called LifeLab
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If you walk to the edge of the room you see a beautiful coastal view through a giant glass wall, but you can walk no farther. It might be a lake or an ocean. How this striking coastline relates to the LifeLab remains a mystery, but it makes the strange, white, room you roam in seem more bare and stark by contrast.

Occasionally, a small group of birds flies by randomly. You hear their calls at random points throughout the hall. Their sound, like the rest, is spatially placed, to a haunting effect as their voices echo in the room. They seem as hopeless as a sparrow in a grocery store. Who are these birds and how did they become trapped in the LifeLab? The answer is a mystery, known only to the makers of this mysterious lab.

Overall, it is an interestingly ambitious experiment in virtual experiential marketing. The graphics ran smoothly and the overall layout seemed well designed. I can imagine companies seeing this as a cost-effective substitute for the live events they would normally do.

Oddly enough, the experience seems slightly more awkward than avoiding a conversation in real life, perhaps because the room is so empty
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Does it meaningfully recreate the level of engagement normally available at a convention? Probably not. However, the P&G LifeLab is an admirable attempt at engaging marketing in a socially-distant world.

Tech Trends’ Digital Consultancy services offer support for companies looking to enhance brand strategy with immersive technologies such as Virtual, Augmented, and Mixed Reality

Laura Kobylecky is a contributing writer to Tech Trends. She is particularly interested in new and emerging technology and culture. Connect with her on LinkedIn 

The post Virtual Marketing at #CES2021 appeared first on Tech Trends.

By Laura Kobylecky

In this “unprecedented” time, as corporations are so fond of saying, some companies have shifted the focus of their presentations to better suit the times at CES 2021, an online-only conference. Dr. Michael Bolle, a member of the board of management of Robert Bosch GmbH and Mike Mansuetti, president of Bosch in North America are here on behalf of Bosch with some timely missives from the company about their efforts to help the environment (using AI and other solutions), fight Covid and train workers.

Bosch is a “a leading global supplier of technology and services,” but today their focus is on sustainability, as well as technology that applies to the particular difficulties of the here and now.

Bolle introduces himself and takes a moment to “thank technology for this remarkable press conference.” He remarks aptly, that “a few decades ago, a pandemic such as the one we’re experiencing today, would have meant the total breakdown of our social and working lives.” However, thanks to technology, “hundreds of millions of people have seen little to no drop in their productivity at work.” This connectivity has allowed “us” to overcome some of “the biggest challenges of our time”

The Environment

However, in Bolle’s words “focusing on the global existential threat of the pandemic” might have reminded us that we should also be focusing on the “greater existential threat facing us all… climate change.” In part, the comparison may be drawn because both of these threats require “huge effort and collaboration” and both situations involve the reality that “doing nothing will cost even more.”

As part of their solution, Bosch became “carbon neutral by the end of 2020” and is the “first global industrial enterprise to have achieved this,” according to internal calculations. They have done this by “increasing energy efficiency” and “expanding the production of renewable energy.”

From a product perspective, Bosch has focused on heating systems that “can help individual households save 2.5 tons of CO2 annually in Germany alone.” Their dishwasherswith Zeolith technology “offer an energy savings of up to 20 percent” and their washing machines are also designed to save water. Their range of power tools are designed to last longer, reducing waste thanks to their “intelligent power management.”

AIoT: Artificial Intelligence and the Internet of Things

This is where AIoT and data become crucial to sustainability.

Their “cloud-based” Energy Platform helps manufacturing operations run at peak efficiency. It “uses intelligent algorithms to help predict energy consumption, energy consumption, avoid peak loads, and correct deviations in typical patterns of consumption.” Connected devices collect data and AI uses that data to make it all work out to save time and resources.

Bosch “camera ecosystem helps stores use their cameras to enforce local Covid regulations #CES2021
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Bosch contrasts their approach with “many other tech companies” where AI is “primarily about creating models of human behavior, focusing especially on purchasing preferences.” At Bosch, they focus on objects’ interactions with their environment. They “explain the physical world to machines” in order to optimize their work and “enable intelligent behavior” for things like “identifying faulty parts in production” or for an “an automotive emergency breaking assistant.”

But for all of this intelligent AI, Bosch wants to assure you that they have “created an AI code of ethics for our development and application of AI.” They are referred to as “guidelines” (1) and are about as binding as Google’s former “don’t be evil” slogan. Bosch emphasizes the need to “build trust in the technology.”

Coronavirus

For a more immediate need, Bosch has developed a rapid test for corona virus. The PCR test launched in March of 2020. The “time-to-result” period has been shaved down to under 30 minutes, an improvement from their initial two and a half hours, and cartridges accommodate “up to five samples simultaneously.” This allows for testing to be done faster. With amped up production, Bosch aims to increase “our testing capacity to three million this year.” Good news for the production of a timely test in a testing time.

The testing also harnesses AIoT, because “devices deployed in the field are also automatically updated with the optimized procedure.” As long as there is an internet connection present, the devices get updates because “this connected device gets software updates via our Vivasuite cloud platform.” Optimized procedures yield faster results. Another helpful feature.

Another Covid-oriented solution is the Bosch “camera ecosystem,” which helps stores use their cameras to enforce local Covid regulations (by equipping the cameras with “custom applications”). Bosch also created an “air-quality sensor” that includes, among other features, a measurement of “the amount of exhaled air and aerosols present in a room.” This could be highly relevant for reducing airborne transmission.

Jobs

Another side effect of the pandemic is the economic fallout of people with jobs sectors decimated by the current situation. Bosch has plans to help with that too, in their own way. Mike Mansuetti explains the Bosch’s “IoT apprenticeship” program explaining how they “recruit talented non-engineers with transferable skills. Then, we train them in system architecture, design, and coding.” Their “first cohort of IoT apprentices includes a former chef, a shop technician, and a personal banking manager,” so they truly do come from a variety of fields.

By recruiting such an assortment of people they can broaden their talent pool. This fulfills what they call their “build strategy,” a method by which they develop talent in order to meet their “software engineering needs in a very challenging recruiting environment.”

Bolle returns to explain how Bosch overall goal of ensuring “competitiveness in a world where climate change and a global pandemic are accelerating transformation and change.” For Bosch, there is no conflict between profitability and sustainability. They are in fact, “two sides of the same coin.”

A global pandemic are accelerating transformation and change #CES2021
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The pursuit of sustainability leads to energy efficiency and this creates “cost efficiency,” all while providing some protection from the instability of energy prices. It also gives them access to the popular “eco-friendly products” market. They optimistically view the challenges of “climate-friendly” design as a way to “think outside the box.” Bosch has even found “new business opportunities” by offering “carbon-neutrality consulting and services” to other companies. It’s a green on green world for Bosch.

Bosch certainly tailored some of their presentation to suit the unique problems facing the world during CES 2021. They offer some interesting perspectives and solutions. For now, it seems that profit and sustainability are balanced in the eyes of Bosch. It will be interesting to see how these ideas play out in the months and years to come.

Tech Trends’ Digital Consultancy services offer support for companies looking to enhance brand strategy with immersive technologies such as Virtual, Augmented, and Mixed Reality

Laura Kobylecky is a contributing writer to Tech Trends. She is particularly interested in new and emerging technology and culture. Connect with her on LinkedIn 

The post #CES2021 Virtual Conference – Bosh Innovations appeared first on Tech Trends.

By Laura Kobylecky

CES is a yearly technology trade show and conference, owned and operated by the Consumer Technology Association (CTA). Last year, it snuck in under the wire, on January 7-10^th in Las Vegas, before 2020’s wave of coronavirus-related cancelations. This year, like many other conferences, it happens in an online-only format.

The event features a combination of video and some interactive elements. When you log into the website, you are greeted by a short video, explaining the basic functions of the website and accompanied by a jaunty little melody. The Exhibitor showcases begin on Tuesday, January 12. On Monday the 11^th there are live videos available.   Closed-captioning is one of the bonuses of the digital experience.

This year, like many other conferences CES happens in an online-only format
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One of these live videos is the “CTA’s Tech Trends Live Q&A,” with Steve Koenig, VP of research, and Lesley Rorhbaugh, director of research for CTA.

When asked about what technologies they find exciting for this year, Rorhbaugh mentions that smartphone technology interests her. Koenig mentions Mercedes Benz new high-tech MBUX dashboard.

When asked about expectations for smart glasses, Koenig expresses enthusiasm. Saying “this is definitely the year for AR. He emphasizes that the future maybe be found in “discrete solutions” and “degrees of immersion.” The discretion can be found in wearables that you can wear “all of the time.” These sorts of glasses won’t look out of place in the day-to-day.

The “degrees of immersion” can be found by moving past the segmented world of VR (virtual reality), AR (augmented reality), and MR (mixed reality). Really, these terms describe only how much the “virtual” has replaced or overlaid the “real” world. With this sort of easy-wear wearable, more easily integrated in the day to day, the level of immersion is not perfectly defined and might vary based on your personal usage.

This is definitely the year for AR
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Rorhbaugh is excited about voice technology. She envisions this as something that could help in-vehicle tech, particularly autonomous vehicles. From her perspective “safety plays a really key role” in that sector and voice technology might contribute to that.

In regard to another hot topic, remote learning, Koenig is optimistic to an extent. He believes in the positive side of “extending opportunities” and feels that universities may “lean into these spaces.” In a “post-crisis” world they will have “manifold options” to continue using this technology to their benefit. He believes that some of the current “friction” in the online learning world will be improved when the world is not in a “panicked rush online.”

Koenig believes that 5G networks will become significant in the near and distant future. He believes they will reach “dense urban areas first.” After that “we’ll be talking about this at CES’s in the next few years, how 5 g is just gonna really overlay the entire global economy.”

5G networks will become significant in the near and distant future
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The CTE trend forecasting session at CES is a bright take on a complicated year
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Televisions are another subject of optimism. In Koenig’s opinion, “there’s always something next for TV at CES.” Unfortunately, CES 2021 will require a bit more imagination than years past. There’s really no way to judge the crystal clear realism of a TV when it’s viewed through the window of another screen. But Koenig remains positive that these “massive, massive, TVs” being showcased will delight the public. With 4K and HDR being standard fare at the moment he believes that “we’ll see more 8k displays” and even greater resolution. He also thinks there will be more competition in the “OLED” (organic light-emitting diode) space.

In his opinion, smart TV is another thing that “continues to get better and better.” Touch-less technology will allow greater and simpler command and control. He also has believes AI applications will learn our viewing patterns and enhance the viewing experience as they “serve up content to us.”

There's always something next for TV at CES
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Other ideas mentioned in this session are smart masks, data dashboards, smart filtration systems, and emergency alert systems that create a more connected world or leverage the Internet of Things.

The CTE trend forecasting session at CES is a bright take on a complicated year. These ideas may serve as inspiration for those curious about what’s new and next for the world of consumer technology in 2021.

Tech Trends’ Digital Consultancy services offer support for companies looking to enhance brand strategy with immersive technologies such as Virtual, Augmented, and Mixed Reality

Laura Kobylecky is a contributing writer to Tech Trends. She is particularly interested in new and emerging technology and culture. Connect with her on LinkedIn 

The post CES: The Online Experience appeared first on Tech Trends.

Back in 2016, Oculus’s chief scientist Michael Abrash predicted that within five years, VR headsets would have a monocular 4K resolution and 140-degree FoV. So by that measure, Pimax over-delivered at CES 2019 with its Leap Motion bundle featuring 8K VR headset with built-in speakers, 200° FOV and optional eye tracking being developed in partnership with 7invensun.

Pimax is now working with partners to make the headsets more extendable with wireless transmission module and bring more content dedicated to the headsets with developers
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Pimax over-delivered at CES 2019 with its Leap Motion bundle featuring 8K VR headset with built-in speakers, 200° FOV and optional eye tracking
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Pimax holds the Guinness World Record for the most successful crowdfunded VR project with over $4m in funding. At CES, they showcased a prototype of its upcoming open-palm controllers, which are compatible with the 8K VR headset as well as other devices such as the Steam VR tracking 1.0 and 2.0. These are ergonomically comfortable with new industrial design, and come in both a thumbstick and trackpad version.

“Science fiction stories like Minority Report and more recently Ready Player One gave us a glimpse into the future for immersive experiences and UI control. Today we’re ready to prove that era is closer than ever before by bringing VR 2.0 to the industry,” says Kevin Henderson, Head of US Operations of Pimax VR, touting thatwith their headsets, users can experience VR with extensive peripheral vision, thus solving the “screen door effect” (whereby you notice fine black lines between the pixels of a digitally projected image) which can sometimes be a problem in VR.

VR 2.0 brings high resolution, wide field of view (FoV) and a more natural interaction as well as the application of innovative technologies, such as foveated rendering, focal surface displays and wireless transmission, will bring a more immersive experience to users in the virtual world.

“In terms of display and optics, in the time of VR 1.0, users suffered from low resolution and narrow FoV, but eye-tracking technology for high viewing performance Foveated rendering technology reduces GPU load power consumption and dizziness, which brings high viewing performance to VR,” adds Henderson, saying they are now closely working with 7invensum, focusing on R&D for eye-tracking technologies to achieve this goal, as well as NVIDIA – the inventor of GPU.

Minority Report and Ready Player One gave us a glimpse into the future for immersive experiences and today we’re ready to prove that era is closer than ever before by bringing VR 2.0 to the industry
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“As a contributor to the industry, we are eager to work with our partners to integrate more innovative technologies into our headsets and make these features easily accessible. We want to provide world-leading technologies to our community and users with a highly effective global customer service and support system and help VR enthusiasts realize their dreams in VR.”

Pimax is now working with partners to make the headsets more extendable with wireless transmission module as well as to bring more content dedicated to the headsets with developers. The company also plans to open customer service centers in North America and Europe customers, with a U.S. based support center due to open in March 2019.

Pimax holds the Guinness World Record for the most successful crowdfunded VR project with over $4m in funding
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For companies looking to get into Immersive technologies our VR Consultancy service offers comprehensive support in strategic deployment of Virtual, Augmented and Mixed Reality

Alice Bonasio is a VR Consultant and Tech Trends’ Editor in Chief. She also regularly writes for Fast Company, Ars Technica, Quartz, Wired and others. Connect with her on LinkedIn and follow @alicebonasio on Twitter.

The post Showing Off VR 2.0 at #CES2019 appeared first on Tech Trends.

As the much-missed playwright William Goldman once said, where it comes to predicting success, ‘Nobody Knows Anything’. And that certainly holds for technology as well as screenwriting. In fact, it holds for most things in life, but let’s stick with Tech for now.

Highlighting case studies from global brands, breakout innovators and startup companies, shapiro offers an inside look at the emerging technologies that are shaping our world
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One of the stories that Shapiro tells in his new book Ninja Future: Secrets to Success in the New World of Innovation (which Tech Trends got an advance peek at prior to its release at the end of the December) refers to the time he met Donald Rumsfeld – at the time when he was secretary of defence for George W. Bush – during a flight and got to talking about the difference between “known unknowns” and “unknown unknowns” and how they impacted a successful strategy.

In any kind of volatile environment successful people are not the ones who know the most about known factors, but those who can most quickly and dynamically adapt to new ones as they emerge
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I won’t spoil it for you, but the moral of the story here is essentially that in any kind of volatile environment – such as the constant sea of disruption that drives tech innovation – successful people are not the ones who know the most about known factors, but those who can most quickly and dynamically adapt to new ones as they emerge.

It covers a vast array of technologies and attempts to draw connections between them in a broader context, mainly centered on how they will impact the lives of ordinary consumers
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This is something that I have experienced over many years of working and reporting on tech, and fully agree with Shapiro on. In other matters, such as his approach to policy and data regulation, we differ quite considerably. For example, I believe GDPR is broadly a positive move and that Ninja companies will actually benefit from adapting their systems to comply with it rather than lazily and greedily scarifying privacy at the altar or “move fast and break things”. In fact, this is sentiment that has been recently echoed by the likes of Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella, yet whatever your personal take on it, the book still provides a useful summary of current policy, and leaves room for the reader to make up their own mind on what the future will hold.

As the much-missed playwright William Goldman once said, where it comes to predicting success, ‘Nobody Knows Anything’
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Ninja Future is the sequel to his previous bestselling book Ninja Innovation: The Ten Killer Strategies of the World’s Most Successful Businesses.

“This future will be marked by disruption. But the people and organizations who possess these qualities also view the challenges ahead as opportunities to generate a better future—a ninja future. In the midst of social, political, and physical upheaval, they will create progress. Growth. Integration. Diversity. Resilience.”

Inevitably, those who have more in-depth knowledge of certain technologies will find little new material about them here. A few pages are dedicated to the rise of Immersive Technologies and the role they will play in this Ninja Future for example, which is not nearly enough go into any sort of deep dive.

Shapiro’s combination of deep-dive analysis, access to the world’s leading innovators and years of industry expertise gives readers the confidence, creativity and clarity to thrive in the fast-approaching, high-tech future
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But that is, of course, not to the purpose of the book. It covers a vast array of technologies and attempts to draw connections between them in a broader context, mainly centered on how they will impact the lives of ordinary consumers.

It is an accessible and interesting read for those unfamiliar with how these often-intimidating technologies such as Artificial Intelligence, Quantum Computing, Mixed Reality, Robotics, Internet of Things and Biometrics actually work, and offers concrete case studies and amusing anecdotes for those who are.

In over 30 years at the helm of CES Shapiro has seen the tech industry transform itself again and again, so he knows what it takes to succeed
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And those case studies come from the “belly of the beast” so to speak. For the past 30 years Shapiro has been in charge of the world’s largest and most famous consumer electronics show – CES which takes place every January in Las Vegas. Hi insights carry weight because they come from simple experience – seeing what works and what doesn’t, recognizing patterns, and embracing the fact that sometimes random luck also plays a part in that success.

“For business or government leaders to stay on the cutting-edge of their fields, they must adapt at lightning speed to evolving trends,” said Shapiro. “Ninja Future takes the key traits of ninja innovators from my first book and applies them to our global future. Ninja innovators will embrace the obstacles and opportunities thrown their way to usher in the ninja future and create value for their world.”

Ninja Future: Secrets to Success in the New World of Innovation will go on sale on December 31st, 2018 and is available now to pre-order on Amazon.

This future will be marked by disruption
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Alice Bonasio is a VR Consultant and Tech Trends’ Editor in Chief. She also regularly writes for Fast Company, Ars Technica, Quartz, Wired and others. Connect with her on LinkedIn and follow @alicebonasio on Twitter.

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