Seamless user interfaces, personalisation and ‘morphing’ of computing usage tipped to be key trends at CES

Over 20,000 new products are expected to be launched at the 2012 International Consumer Electronics Show (CES) and among the most important trends will be a ‘morphing’ of computing usage, more seamless user experiences and increasing personalisation, said Shawn Dubravac, chief economist and director of research at the Consumer Electronics Association.

Dubravac, speaking ahead of this year’s CES which opens Tuesday (January 10) in Las Vegas, said that 2012 marked the entry into the second decade of digital transition. The first decade saw devices such as cameras, TVs and audio equipment moving from analogue to digital, and the big step in the second decade will see the industry really begin to leverage those devices and take advantage of what they can offer.

“We’re starting to capture all of the digital content – music, video etc,” said Dubravac. “The next step in the digital transition is to make it so we can discover them, organise them and search them.”

Dubravac said there would be more devices making use of the cloud, a continuing trend for wireless audio and more distribution of content from one device to another, as well as consumer electronics becoming increasingly intelligent as sensors become less expensive and therefore more common.

Picking out three main trends for 2012 Dubravac said the first is a morphing of computing, where there is “a friction between pulling power out of devices and pushing it into non-core areas”. Tablets and ultrabooks where the focus is on areas other than pure computing power, and smart TVs which have computing functions such as internet browsers and app capabilities added to them, are perfect examples of the trend. Dubravac added that nearly half of all TVs shipping in the US this year are expected to be able to connect to the internet.

Another major trend this year will be a focus on interfaces and the overall user experience, Dubravac said. Technology is moving away from being ‘on display’ to the consumer and towards becoming more hidden, offering a more seamless experience.

“From complexity, we start to focus on simplicity,” he said, adding that for smart TVs the focus will be on the user experience rather than just the connectivity abilities and that more intuitive controls will start to feature more prominently on other devices.

“2012 will see tablets that integrate gesture control and voice control to give consumers a much more natural experience,” he said.

The third big trend will be personalisation, Dubravac said, with the ability to customise devices so each user is getting a unique experience.

Meanwhile, hardware will be increasingly leveraged to build a wider industry around it. That not only means a wealth of accessories and enhancements for devices such as smartphones but also the harnessing of key technological capabilities, with Dubravac saying that the health & fitness sector “is an area where manufactures are taking advantage of the hardware core”.