For instance, Karen Chupka, executive vice president of CES, said that companies like John Deere, Procter & Gamble and Raytheon are at the show for the first time. That's an illustration of how CES continues to be a festival of innovation from nearly all industries across the globe.
Shapiro also noted in his keynote that CES is about both "startups and existing brands." The startups at CES Unveiled and Eureka Park are amazing in that they have come up with devices to solve problems or make life a bit easier.
The existing brands are no slouches either. The headlines about CES 2019 are focusing on, in no order, 5G, 8K, AI and VR. And many of the tech brands we know – Samsung, LG Electronics, Hisense, IBM, Qualcomm, Verizon – and others are leading the way.
But as we have seen, innovation is no longer a top-down affair of major companies setting the tone, or as Shapiro said in his keynote, companies cannot work "in silos" anymore. Collaboration and openness are the keys to innovation and commercial success.
One of the lessons is that everyone involved in consumer technology – and that is just about every company and industry worldwide – has contributions to make and share.
That is the lesson that this annual event in Las Vegas every January continues to teach all of us, whether you make farm equipment, digital health devices, driverless cars or drones; or operate 5G networks, use AI or produce major appliances.
It may be overwhelming, but if you are willing to listen and share, you shouldn't be surprised if you and your company begin to innovate.
i3, the flagship magazine from the Consumer Technology Association (CTA)®, focuses on innovation in technology, policy and business as well as the entrepreneurs, industry leaders and startups that grow the consumer technology industry. Subscriptions to i3 are available free to qualified participants in the consumer electronics industry.