CES 2012 previewed - for consumers and business

Alex Zaharov-Reutt
Monday, 09 January 2012 13:31

Opinion and Analysis

The first major tech show of the year is nearly upon us, and with 2012 set to unleash all manner of exciting technologies (and undoubtedly some flops), CES is where we get to see a lot of new tech unveiled first - here's what to expect.

Although some online reports have recently noted that CES is as well known for gadgets exhibited with fanfare that never made it to market or were short-lived as it is for seeing future technology successes unveiled, the 2012 Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas will nevertheless unleash a tsunami of new and updated tech, will see many business deals done and much tech news generated.

2012 is also Microsoft's last major year, with Steve Ballmer, Microsoft's CEO, starting what will be his final CES keynote at 6.30pm US time on Monday the 9th of January, which for Australians in AEDT (Sydney) time is 1.30pm on Tuesday the 10th.

As per usual, Microsoft will be broadcasting the keynote live at its dedicated CES event page, which is yet another contrast to Apple, which used to broadcast live, but does no longer, letting the tech news sites and blogs of the world engage in their live blogging instead, along with a Ustream or equivalent in audio or video if anyone is organised enough and there's enough outgoing bandwidth.

The 6.30pm start in the US also translates to a much friendlier time for Australians, with interested IT people in various organisations likely already having set aside some time, especially in relatively quiet January, to watch live for a preview into what Microsoft has planned for consumers, businesses and the enterprise next.

CES is a massive tradeshow by anyone's standards, and this year's is set to be one of the biggest ever, and comes at a time of ever more wireless connectivity, ever faster tablet updates, an upcoming new iPad 3, an upcoming new Windows 8 (and all the new hardware that entails), and plenty of fantastic competition.

In the meantime, Windows users have to contend with a several month wait before Windows 8 is ready, and enterprise users will presumably have to wait even longer before their company-supplied computers also make the upgrade.

But as individuals have already shown, they like their own devices and like to bring them with them everywhere - be it home, school or at work.

Respected analysis firm Ovum has come up with some enterprise and consumer expectations for CES 2012, into which will be woven some of my own thoughts and commentary, with the 'bring your own device' the first enterprise topic Ovum has chosen, and the first we'll go with, too.

Obviously the iPad 3 and Windows 8 tablets will be used in businesses whether businesses like it or not, and clearly, IT people will continue having to ensure their networks are up to the task of handling these devices securely.

Ovum expects 'a number of Android related announcements' from big companies we know like Samsung, and 'design' manufacturers many haven't heard of, with special features targeting both consumer cool and enterprise security needs, multiple user accounts for tablets and a device that knows what permissions it has when connected to work, home and other networks.

So, what about all those Ultrabooks - and everything else consumer and business? Please read on to page two!