125,000 people went to the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) Las Vegas to see the latest consumer stuff.
I went to see my son and sniff out investment opportunities.
I figured I’d find a game-changer, a must-have product. I’d buy the manufacturer’s stock, watch it rise into the ionosphere and become rich beyond my wildest imagination.
It was not to be.
One thing did blow me away: How one company dominated so much of the show.
And it wasn’t even there. It had no booth. It wasn’t exhibiting.
The company was Apple. It was the only company at CES with a pavilion devoted solely to solely products and services enhancing its products and services — i.e. its revenues and profits.
There were a zillion companies in the iLounge Pavilion making everything from cases that swaddle iPads to neat “health” applications that run on iPods, iPhones and iPads.
My favorite Apple add-on was a clear acrylic that affixes to the front and back of your iPhone or iPad and protects the glass. Wrapsol makes the stuff. Every one of us with an iPhone and iPad should use the Wrapsol wrap to protect their Apple stuff. I checked all the other protective films. Wrapsol’s is the best. You must get one. Trust me on this one. Click here.
Many of the products in the iLounge Pavilion sported this logo.
It’s an official logo from Apple for which you pay Apple a significant royalty. In return Apple helps you design your product, certifies your product and helps you sell it. One maker of speakers at the show told me he had worked with Apple for the past two years designing his product, which was now going to change the world. More on his and other products tomorrow.
For now, the major consumer electronics themes at CES:
+ 3D TV. Time to throw away your 2D TV sets and buy a 3D set. 3D is neat. Every one (there were millions) demoed animation, sports and gaming. I remember what Samuel Goldwyn said when he first saw Cinemascope: “A wide screen just makes a bad film twice as bad.” You have to wear glasses to watch 3D screens. There are active and passive TV sets. Glasses to watch the passive TV sets are cheap. But you get half the resolution of active TV sets. A passive pair will cost you $40. An active pair will cost you $140. If four people are watching your TV, that will cost you $560 just for the glasses.
+ Endless tablets, most of which won’t make it. I’ll stick with my iPad.
+New platforms on which you can launch more apps. Samsung, Verizon, and others have them. Companies are hoping you’ll run your life on your TV. I wasn’t convinced. Apple dominates and will dominate the third party app business.
+ Electronics for your health. You can now take your blood pressure on your iPad. Cost $99.
+ Faster everything – from broadband wireless connections to solid state drives to faster processors. Verizon’s 4G broadband wireless is simply amazing. It’s a “must-have,” though it won’t be available for a few months. Meantime, there is a rumor that Verizon is announcing tomorrow it has the iPhone. I hope so. I hate AT&T’s service. I own stock in Verizon.
CES bloomed with booth babes. (That’s what they’re called.)
These girls weren’t promotiing the car or the stuff in the booth. They were promoting the modeling agency they worked for.
This girl was promoting a product, though I can’t remember what it was.
I asked her if her enormous breasts were real.
She replied, “Hell no!“
Harry Newton who wants to assure his readers (and his wife) that he did not prowl CES in search of half-naked, big breasted ladies. Tomorrow I’ll look at CES products.
I had the privilege of touching Harry's iPhone last night on the plane. Gotta say, it's a little odd feeling up some stranger's phone, but the Wrapsol is virtually undetectible — far superior to my Apple-marketed protector, As for Harry's assurances he was not on the prowl — I'm less convinced!
Harry, Please post as many pictures as possible of the hot ladies who were at the CES. I wasn't able to attend.