CES and Macworld 2008

Michael Gartenberg | December 20, 2007, 10:33 AM

I've been going to CES for quite some time but like a lot of others in the industry, I'm staying home this year. Some years are revolutionary with new innovations and technology. Some are more evolutionary and this year's really going to be in the evolutionary category. Let's face it, TVs can get only so big and we're maxed out on size and resolution. Likewise, other categories that are mature. Vendors will be working very hard to differentiate their stuff (and I've already seen at least one company that will have no trouble getting their stuff to stand out of the crowd, it's super groundbreaking and passes the visible differentiation from 100 paces test).  BTW, I've spent the last month doing CES briefings, if I haven't heard from you, I still have a few slots open the first week in Jan.

Macworld should also be interesting. Over the last few years, Apple has cast a long shadow over CES, even though it has not attended the event. Last year, when the two coincided, all anyone was talking about in Vegas was the iPhone launch. It's always amusing for me to see how much speculation there is leading up to Macworld and almost none for folks showing at CES.

2007 was a huge year for Apple. The iPhone launch, the Apple TV launch, new iMacs and iPods and of course, Leopard. That's a tough act to follow but I suspect Macworld will be quite important this year.