James Pearce says that despite the lack of mobile launches at CES earlier this month, excitement levels have now being raised ahead of Mobile World Congress in March
It saw the launch of a load of devices, ranging from a connected coffee machine to a “Robo Chef” with a whole host of connected devices unveiled in between, but one thing was clear in Las Vegas: CES is not the place to go for mobiles.
Yes, there were new phones launched, with handsets unveiled by computer manufacturers ASUS, Lenovo, Acer, plus LG, HTC and all showed off new devices at the 2015 edition of the electronics expo.
There was also several new entries in to the mobile market too, with car manufacturer Lamborghini revealing a £4,000 limited edition smartphone and rugged device maker Bullitt Group teaming up with Kodak to release a simple-to- use device.
Wearables dominated the agenda with Alcatel ONETOUCH, Lenovo, and Garmin unveiling its first ever smart watch, along with a whole host of smaller manufacturers showing off wearable tech.
It was some of the major manufacturers who were most noticeable in their absence. Though Sony and Samsung both made appearances, neither revealed any major new phones, with the former showing off its smart watches and the latter focussing on the connected world.
In his keynote speech at the conference, Samsung CEO BK Yoon talked more Internet of Things (IoT) than he did mobile, showing how important IoT is for the manufacturer.
Unsurprisingly, Apple didn’t make an appearance and it was arguably Apple who had harmed CES most, by unveiling the Apple Watch back in September and stealing the thunder from the wearables market before it had even been properly established.
The lack of mobile launches may have undermined CES but what it does do is make Mobile World Congress look even more exciting, with most of the major manufacturers expected to unveil their flagship devices at the conference in Barcelona in March.
While Vegas may be the Entertainment Capital of the World, this year’s CES was a bit of a bore for the mobile industry, and that can only be good news for MWC. See you in Barcelona!