CES 2019 will focus on innovative technologies (5G, immersive reality and digital confidence) that provide the ultimate in customization and experience for the end user, enabling an ecosystem connected through cities and smart homes and a new generation of cars. Companies will invest more to ensure greater security and privacy of data with blockchain technology as a base, while voice assistants such as Google and Alexa will play a large part in the debates at CES 2019. The AR (augmented reality), the VR (virtual reality) and the XR (extended reality) will become part of our lives. These are the topics that will be the focus of CES 2019, which will be held in Las Vegas starting on January 8. Adolfo Rodero, managing director of the Communications and Media sector of Accenture, gives the keys.
5G connecting everything
CES 2019 will present the next stage in 5G this year, with a tangible vision of the benefits that this technology offers for industries around the world and the proliferation of devices that collect data at any time and place, and what all this entails for companies and the end user. 5G technology is a key requirement to enable the implementation of innovations such as autonomous vehicles, the advancement of smart cities and the IoT that connects everything.
CES 2019 will focus on innovative technologies (5G, immersive reality and digital confidence) that provide the ultimate in personalization and experience for the end user
Although the number of connected households will increase, consumers will opt for different alternatives to personalize their connected homes, which will influence the platforms and the way of use in each market. Brands must respond to consumer concerns about how they use their data, making them feel safe and comfortable in a truly connected home, as this will impact decision making when choosing a product and its fidelity.
Currently, all eyes are on the telecommunications market and several major cities in the United States (Houston, Los Angeles, Sacramento and Indianapolis, to name a few) already have 5G technology for Internet at home. The race is underway at high speed and wireless service providers such as Verizon, T-Mobile, Spring and AT & T have already announced their intention to establish complete 5G networks throughout the United States.
In Spain we have witnessed the high interest generated by the 5G pilots launched by the government and soon we will be able to see several pilot tests during the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona.
Most mobile phone manufacturers say they will launch their long-awaited 5G phones in early 2019, when consumers can expect unparalleled wireless service with speeds never before imagined. The question will be who will cross the finish line beforehand without any negative experience for the end user.
AR, VR and XR: immersive reality becomes the dominant trend / trend brand
Immersive technology will affect the way content producers, brands and a wide variety of industries address the market.
Regarding VR, consumers are taking it to their homes at the speed of light, as they live the experience and check its benefits. The focus this year is on the race to manufacture autonomous headphones with the format most suited to the end user in the effort to attract an audience that is slow to adapt to the RV. To date there are seven million VR headsets in American homes, only 6%, although it has experienced a 25% increase from 2017 to 2018.
VR has affected virtually all sectors, allowing the end user to immerse themselves in thousands of experiences in the music, fashion and entertainment industries.
With respect to AR, phones and tablets are no longer the only place for this technology, as it was when Pokemon Go launched this technology to the general public with its competitive experiential game. The aim of the RA is to provide a comfortable and natural immersion, so the debate will focus on its continuous improvement, with the rumors about the disappearance of phones and tablets, and on the political and ethical issues related to privacy as more consumers introduce RA in their lives.
CES 2019 will offer experiences in AR / VR in all industries and in every conceivable way to take people to places they have never been and to bring products to their world like never before.
Regarding the XR, games and entertainment have been the most used this technology to date. However, the use of XR devices that can be worn and mobile support applications will become part of the lifestyle, including theme parks, tourist / hotel centers and continuing education, which will bring a revolution to life. a sector as important in our country as tourism. The XR has been defined as the combination of AR and VR environments with enhanced immersive technologies, or the merging of the physical and virtual worlds that will change the way we live, work and play.
Consumers who already experience the benefits of the XR will be open to introducing it into other areas of their lives. The XR will naturally generate benefits for consumers in additional industries such as healthcare, with many expert professionals aware of how XR can improve patient care in the treatment of many diseases and diverse generations.
Digital confidence, in the foreground
Digital trust will be a priority issue at CES 2019, as more and more households are connected and a larger number of people depend on DVA (digital voice assistants), who are always listening, and the services they provide ( medical advice, financial management, etc.). The use of data and digital confidence appear more and more in the foreground.
In general, and in the heat of the increasingly numerous scandals, consumers have become more cautious and more rigorous about the ethics of companies and their privacy practices and data security, so they expect more control over who has access to your location and other private data.
In relation to this issue, the increasing use of blockchain technology in the media sector continues to solve challenges related to the sharing of consumer data and the management of digital rights, with an essential focus on what is accessible and what is private. and to manage the ownership and control of valuable data. At the beginning of 2019, more than half of the media groups will use blockchain technology or will address strategies to implement it and although the level of adoption in Spain is lower it is foreseeable that it will accelerate as a result of the advantages and simplification that its application is generating in international groups. The experience in the same aims that blockchain is a revolutionary and definitive solution for the increasing costs of the advertising technology and the hours devoted to reconcile the reports of payments after the campaigns, helping the industry to obtain a more tangible ROI that animates to advertisers to invest more in 2019 and in later years.
Voice-enabled devices and Alexa
As the popularity of Amazon Echo smart speakers increases, more and more brands and companies are launching products with digital voice assistants (DVA). Most of the appliances, including smart televisions, will have voice technology, presented at the CES as a member of the smart home. Televisions and streaming devices will connect with Blu-ray players with audio control to help improve the end-user’s cinematic experience. CES 2019 will include voice-enabled products, both new and improved, that are more affordable and suitable for consumers. For example, virtually all devices related to cooking will include a voice command.
Other devices for the home that will be shown at CES 2019 are mirrors, showers and smart lamps activated by the voice, which will help to personalize the bathrooms of the home for any type of user, plug, charger, light switch and virtually any electronic device . The more companies adopt the voice command, there will soon be more devices that are activated in this way both inside and outside the home (in vehicles and public areas), compared with devices and products that can not be activated by voice. As Alexa is incorporated into more devices, the biggest challenge and concern will be knowing which voice activation makes the most sense and which ones do not.
Autonomous automobiles and technological innovations for vehicles
The “internal / inherent qualities” of virtual assistants, voice commands and connected cars as extensions of our smart homes will increase in importance as the new connectivity technology is incorporated into our vehicles and, finally, make them the most advertised “third place”. In this issue we expect a new range of solutions at CES 2019, along with a real effort to create truly personalized automotive experiences through artificial intelligence and other solutions that will allow cars to learn the driver’s preferences and respond to them.
Another important issue to pay attention to is smart mobility, or how cars will become an integral part of the intermodal mobility system that is currently being implemented. The new solutions will make shared use of the vehicle, the car with the driver and the “multimodal mobility” even more convenient, efficient in costs and sustainable. Everything also points to the fact that the race towards the “totally autonomous” vehicle will go on to its next stage this year. This trend is especially important in Europe in general and in Spain in particular when contemplating it with the technological renovation that is driving from the institutions through much stricter policies of emission control and support for clean technologies, which increases the investment necessary for acquisition and reduces the obsolescence and useful life terms.
Some of the related key technologies that can be seen at CES this year are improved versions of LiDAR (laser distance detection), photo and image recognition solutions for autonomous vehicles and storage, management, classification and data recovery solutions of training, many of which will not come from established actors, but from start-ups and companies outside the automotive sector. The 5G, another of the enabling technologies for autonomous automobiles, will also play a key role in this fair, with network providers and telecommunications companies preparing for the launch of the high-speed standard.
Also published on Medium.