CES 2011 Preview: Tablets, 3D TVs, More Tablets

by Jordan Yerman | January 4, 2011 at 10:56 am

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CES 2011: Expect To See Tablets, Lots of Tablets

CES 2011, running January 6-9 in Las Vegas, will be tablet overload. While previous years have been characterized by how-big-can-a-TV get, expect this year to be all about tablet PCs. While manufacturers are still trying to make 3D TV happen, our prediction is that 2011 will not be the year for 3D TV. Too few offerings, too expensive, nobody wants to wear those glasses while in their own homes. Apple doesn't do CES, so any potential iPad upgrades will not be previewed in Vegas.

Tablets, on the other hand... every computer manufacturer worth its salt (and a few who aren't) will be offering up the flatness. So far, only Samsung's Galaxy Tab, running on the Android platform, has come close to challenging the iPad. That will change at CES 2011.

Motorola has been touting a tablet offering since Christmas 2010. Acer and Asus will also be entering the tablet fray. Microsoft may not introduce a Windows 7 tablet: their attempts at that genre of portable computing have not been particularly promising, but a Windows Phone 7-based tablet would probably be worth exploring.

CES Keynote Linup: Includes Steve Ballmer (Microsoft), Boo-Keun Yoon (Samsung)

Show-goers still slightly full and tipsy from holiday revelry may think they're seeing things; virtually every major PC manufacturer (and many smaller ones) will unveil Android and Windows 7 Tablets. This development, however, should surprise no one.

Get Appified

Software developers will also be showing off tablet-centric applications, such as Opera's tablet browser. This will be one aspect of the overall appification of consumer software: it's becoming fun-sized, like those candy bars you get at Halloween.

The TV Wars Continue

Not only will manufacturers of 3D TV sets be continuing their bid to make us believe we need at-home 3D, the home screen will also remain a content battleground. Internet TV watched on actual TVs hasn't really taken off as most North American users have embraced TiVo. However, Apple TV has proven that the web and television can form a viable relationship. (CNET CES 2011 TV Preview)

However, to go mainstream, Internet TV has to be simple. Very, very simple. Remember that the average tech consumer cannot program the DVD clock past the blinking "12:00", so anything requiring too many components and too much setup will likely not find a large audience. Meanwhile, Google is delaying any Google TV announcement until after CES 2011.

Meanwhile, Netflix is already in the space, and has made inroads into Canada. Will they be making hardware deals as well?