i3 - March/April 2021 - 39

By Steve Koenig and Brian Comiskey

Business

M A R K E T B E AT

Five Megatrends
from CES 2021

 T 

echnology trends manifest
in different shapes and sizes,
driven by a combination of
technology innovation, use cases and
consumer behavior. CES 2021 illustrated five megatrends that will expand
technology's economic footprint, leading to new business opportunities, but
also a healthier and more sustainable
world. Let's take a look.

1. 5G - Beyond

2. 'Intelligence of

3. Healthy at

4. Building a

Verizon CEO Hans
Vestberg's keynote
kicked off CES by positioning 5G as the network underpinning the
megatrends that will
redefine the economy.
Verizon's Mobile Edge
Compute (MEC) initiative will shift processing
from expensive hardware into the cloud.
Critically, this MEC pivot
will provide low cost,
low energy and reliable
infrastructure to accelerate the digital transformation of the economy.
For example, 5G will
enable new experiences
in live sports and enrich
logistics systems with
drone-based delivery
services.

CES 2021 showed how
artificial intelligence (AI)
and machine learning
are forging a greater
Intelligence of Things
(IoT) ecosystem. CES
prominently featured IoT
in two key consumer
areas: personal wearables and smart homes.
Bosch's debut of the first
self-learning AI sensor for
wearables and LG's smart
fridge equipped with a
self-diagnosing filtration
system, underscored
that intelligence has
become table-stakes in
the industry. CES 2021
also demonstrated how
the Intelligence of Things
is impacting the future of
the enterprise. First-time
exhibitor Caterpillar displayed how its autonomous CAT mining
equipment will improve
efficiencies and enhance
job safety, a trend set to
be adopted across the
industrial sector.

After a year defined by
COVID-19, CES 2021
richly illustrated the evolution of home-based
digital health devices
into an end-to-end wellness ecosystem.
Products like the
BioIntelliSense BioButton
wearable, Bosch's mobile
Hemoglobin Monitor and
Samsung's Health Smart
Trainer feature on their
2021 TVs provide robust
examples. CTA Research
forecasts 14 million connected health monitoring units will ship in 2021,
up 35% from 2020.

With the growing urgency
of environmental challenges, innovations around
climate action emerged as
another prominent theme
at CES. The electrification
of vehicles and mobility
solutions stands at the
forefront of this sustainability megatrend. GM's keynote was perhaps the most
substantial as it announced
plans to release 30 electric
vehicle (EV) models over
the next five years, emphasizing industry's push to
make EVs available to
everyone. More, the presence of IoT chip designers
for smart infrastructure like
Fibocom, and new household solutions like
Samsung's solar remote
control and Lasso's automated recycling machine,
revealed a growing portfolio of sustainable technologies for cities and
consumers alike.

Mobile Broadband

Top to bottom: Courtesy of Razer, Courtesy of Bosch.

Razer's Project
Brooklyn concept
gaming chair
prototype

C TA . t e c h / i 3

i3_0321_39_Business_MarketBeat.indd 39

Things' Scales Up

Home

Bosch's mobile
Hemoglobin Monitor

Sustainable Future

5. Now That's
Entertainment!

CES 2021 showcased the
future of immersive experiences and on-demand
escapism. Razer's Project
Brooklyn concept gaming
chair prototype features a
60-inch rollout OLED display for full immersion.
CES brought more immersive display technology
including Micro-LED, laser
projection and even rollable screens across TVs,
laptops and smartphones.
CES 2021 also affirmed
the ongoing shift to
on-demand content
distribution. Warner Bros.
Entertainment announced
that their direct to streaming movie release strategy
will continue through 2021.
Even more exciting, the virtual concert showcases
held during multiple CES
keynotes showed us the
interactive content experiences we'll soon be able to
access from anywhere.

GO ONLINE: Stay tuned to CTA Research at CTA.tech/Research to learn more about
these megatrends and other important developments in consumer tech.
MARCH/APRIL 2021

39

3/11/21 12:43 PM
https://CTA.tech/Research https://CTA.tech/i3
i3 - March/April 2021

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