I’m more excited about CES 2024 than I’ve been during the past several years. True, COVID actually sidelined this amazing show in 2021, somehow reducing the largest tech show in the world to a virtual image on a smartphone. 
2023 will probably be known as “the recovery year.” More than 115,000 made the trek to Vegas last January, exceeding expectations. But pre-pandemic, this amazing show drew in excess of 170,000.
And so the 2024 show is highly anticipated, with estimates that 140,000+ attendees will show up from around the world. It should look and feel like a “normal” CES. For those of us who attend this iconic event every year, this is a good thing. In the same way a full house for a Stones or Taylor Swift concert just fuels the energy, CES functions in much the same way. This show requires a lot of wattage because you show up wanting to be blown away by what you see and experience. The crowds are part of the action.
Paul and I have made the annual pilgrimage to the mecca of tech since 2009, thanks to us starting our mobile app company, jacapps, and lots of friendly urging from our friend Buzz Knight. It’s been well worth the money and effort. There is no other place where you feel the confluence of innovation and optimism like CES. It permeates the atmosphere from the Las Vegas Convention Center to C-Space at the Aria, or Eureka Park at the Venetian Convention Center. In a world where “what’s next?” is the currency, CES pays off big-time.
I used to think this show was about hot gadgets. Don’t get me wrong – that’s part of the attraction of CES. New toys and technologies – VR, AR, AI, EV, OLED, and most other acronyms – are everywhere. But you learn after you’ve navigated this sprawling display of the latest and greatest is that themes emerge – if you’re paying attention and know what to look for. The perspective gained by repeat attendance provides even more context to understand what’s happening today and how it will impact us tomorrow.
Case in point: dashboard screens
Back in 2020, CES snuck in just ahead of COVID. And the hot concept car on the floor was the Byton, a scrumptious, futuristic car from China, loaded with incredible features. But the centerpiece was the car’s “pillar-to-pillar” dashboard, occupying the entire width of the front cockpit. We’d never seen anything like it. But a trend? Hardly. After all, the Byton was a concept car, and designers tend to go off the rails a bit for vehicles that may never go to market. And the Byton never did.
But the next year, Mercedes-Benz unveiled their HyperScreen, not a concept but a real feature offered in their high-end EVs. Again, the emphasis was on maximum screen real estate – the ability to display oodles of features and vast “infotainment” content.
The next year at CES 2022, it was the Togg, a new Turkish car. And once again, coast-to-coast screens that spanned the entire width of the cabin.
A trend? Most definitely. Whereas those early Tesla models contained iPad-sized screens that made us ooh and aah, Musk’s slick EVs have now been dwarfed by these wider than wide displays. The challenge, of course, is determining how radio is positioned on these eye-catching, flashy dashes, and how AM/FM stations can attain equal or even better footing than their many audio challengers.
Enter Xperi, a stop on our Jacobs CES Tours every year since we started offering broadcasters a curated experience. Joe D’Angelo and his team have been on it, developing the DTS AutoStage platform (pictured), the flashiest application of broadcast radio in the dash we’ve ever seen. They’ll be a destination on our tours once again this year, as Xperi continues to roll out radio listening metrics based on real-time local station integration in these larger-than-life infotainment systems – heady stuff for an industry that has long considered Arbitron and Nielsen as the industry standard.
Xperi is reading the room well these days, sharpening the features offered in their dashboard ecosystem. Beyond their audience insights metrics, the company is adding all sorts of enhancements, including song lyrics on the screen.
As has been the case on every CES tour we’ve done, we’ll be on the lookout for the car company (or companies) with the most innovative features and displays. Because radio remains the #1 most-
listened to audio source in cars, it’s mandatory for our trek through the LVCC to include automakers making the best use of technology – either ready for market or in vehicles of the future.
That’s the beauty of CES. Right now, we’re still sorting who’s going to be displaying this year. As we get closer to January, we’ll know more about the specifics of company displays. But until we arrive in Las Vegas – a couple days before you do – we still won’t know the full scope of what we want to show you on our tour.
For the past two years, we called “exhibit audibles” within minutes of a tour starting to help keep pace with the speed of CES. These “game time decisions” allow Paul and I to quickly collaborate with our CES Sherpas to add or drop an exhibit on the fly.
There is no AI display or exhibit because Artificial Intelligence isn’t a gadget nor is it confined to a booth. It is the new DNA that flows through thousands of the innovations that will be on display at CES 2024. We will be looking for its most striking and smart applications, with an eye – and an ear – on how it will impact radio broadcasters and audio entertainment and information.
Google will once again build their gigundous house in the parking lot facing Central Plaza. They’re almost always worth taking in with displays on par with the Disney “imagineers.” Not to be outdone, Amazon and the next iteration of Alexa devices and technology will once again be in the house – and we’ll check out the latest and greatest in their product lineup.
Of course, we’re also be taking a look at Samsung, LG, Sony and the “city state” displays showing off what’s new and next for consumers in the home, the office, and on the go.
And last but certainly not least, the newest attraction in Vegas, Sphere™. They’ve been building this thing for five years. And all we heard was that it would be some sort of futuristic arena concept that in its construction phase closely resembled the Death Star in the original “Star Wars” classic.
True confession: I’ve been mocking it the last several times we’ve visited Las Vegas, complete with Darth Vader jokes.
Well, it’s done, and Sphere™ turns out to be a lot more than a George Lucas-inspired space weapon. From the outside, it’s already being used much like how Google morphs and adapts its
ubiquitous logo every day to best match what’s going in the world. I had to laugh the other day when the exterior morphed into a jack-o-lantern. You have to admire a multi-media arena with a sense of humor.
To Las Vegas residents and visitors, the eye-catching Sphere™ is attracting a ton of attention. U2 christened Sphere™ last week, and the band is now in the middle of a 25-show residency at this other worldly venue. It holds 17,000 seats, most of which have haptic features, which means visitors feel the sound – not just hear it.
Sphere™ stands 366 feet tall, containing 1.2 million hockey-puck sized LEDs on the outside, creating an infinite number of designs – well beyond pumpkins.
On the inside Sphere™ features 160,00 speakers, guaranteeing guests consistent sound wherever they’re seated. The venue accommodates sports and film events as well.
Sphere™ is the confluence of media, entertainment, and technology. And it’s only in Vegas – at least for now. At a cost of roughly $2 billion to build, you have to believe Sphere™ will go forth and multiply to markets like New York, L.A., Paris, and London.
And our Jacobs CES Tour attendees will get one of the first opportunities to check it out for the viewing of a multimedia film, “Postcard From Earth” directed by Darren Aronofsky (“The Fountain,” “Pi,” and others).
For CES 2024, consider this your official invitation. Information and the “fine print” is here.
If you’ve ever dreamed of going to CES or it’s been smoldering on your bucket list, this is the year to make it happen. We’ll guide you through it and make sure it’s a memorable experience for you and perhaps someone else from your company. To date, hundreds of broadcasters have journeyed with us to CES to see the future.
We hope this is your year.
Finally, a look at Sphere™ through the U2 lens:
It’s no secret at all… #U2UVSPHERE pic.twitter.com/AmAlvp0cDh
— U2 (@U2) October 2, 2023
Tour details and registration is here.
Jacobs Media has consistently walked the walk in the digital space, providing insights and guidance through its well-read national Techsurveys.
In 2008, jacapps was launched - a mobile apps company that has designed and built more than 1,300 apps for both the Apple and Android platforms. In 2013, the DASH Conference was created - a mashup of radio and automotive, designed to foster better understanding of the "connected car" and its impact.
Along with providing the creative and intellectual direction for the company, Fred consults many of Jacobs Media's commercial and public radio clients, in addition to media brands looking to thrive in the rapidly changing tech environment.
Fred was inducted into the Radio Hall of Fame in 2018.
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