Hey, I?m Donald Bell and in this special episode of Top 5 we?re giving you an
inside look at what our CNET Editors are expecting to encounter at the 2013
Consumer Electronics Show -- CES.
These are the trends in tech that will set the tone in the industry for the rest of the
year.
And you don?t have to take my word for it.
Like I said, we?re doing this Top
5 a little different, and for each trend we?re going to hear from one of our expert
CNET Editors.
So let?s get started with CNET?s Top 5 predictions for CES 2013, counted down
by CNET?s best and brightest.
I?m David Carnoy starting things off at #5: Lightning accessories.
Now that Apple
has redesigned the connection on the iPhone and iPad it seems likely that we?re
going to see a new wave of all the accessories that go with them.
Car chargers,
speakers, adapters, there are a lot of accessories out there and the companies
that make them all want to stay up to date.
I?m Eric Franklin with our #4 CES prediction: Android tablets.
Yeah, I know, big
surprise.
But, with the popularity of products like the Kindle Fire and Nexus 7,
everyone (well, except for Apple and Microsoft) everyone, except for those two,
want to release the next big Android tablet.
I think we?ll see a range of different
sizes (from 7-inch, maybe even up to 13-inch), most targeting that $200-$400
price range.
I?m Scott Stein, and coming in at #3: apps.
It seems that every product now
comes with its own app.
Whether it?s a TV or home stereo or a toaster, we?re
seeing an increasing amount of products that have their own companion app.
So
whether you want to use your smartphone as a TV remote, adjust the EQ on your
stereo with your tablet, manufacturers are making sure that there?s an app for
everything they make.
I?m Matt Moskovciak with #2: streaming everything.
Whether it?s Bluetooth or
AirPlay speakers, or some new way to plug Netflix into your TV, we?re seeing
more and more wireless technologies for the living room.
And I?ll be surprised if
we don?t hear about something new from Roku, or maybe a new product from
last year?s award winning Simple TV product for chord cutters..
Before we get to #1, I?m Jessica Dolcourt with a prediction for something we
probably won?t actually see much of at CES: those really whiz-bang
smartphones.
With Mobile World Congress just a month after CES, I expect that
most phone-makers will save their marquee announcements until then.
Oh, I?m
sure we?ll see more than a few phones at CES, but I wouldn?t hold my breath for
a parade of astounding flagship products.
And finally, I?m David Katzmaier with our #1 prediction for CES: OLED and 4K
televisions.
De-ja-vu, you say?
Well yeah, TV news from CES a year ago was
dominated by these technologies too, but this time TV makers are serious!
They'll
promise!
OLED is destined to replace LCD and plasma someday, but for 2013
we expect these amazing TVs to cost around ten grand...if they come out.
And
4K is the next 1080p, but it only makes a difference on 80-inch-plus screens and
there's no 4K content today.
Yay, the future!
[Done]
So there you have it, CNET?s Top 5 predictions for the 2013 Consumer
Electronics Show straight from our CNET Editors.
Head over to CES.CNET.com
for all our preview coverage and watch that page go ballistic as our live CES
coverage rolls out on January 8th.
Until then, I?m Donald Bell, thanks for watching.
