LAS VEGAS — Everywhere you look at CES, it seems there’s nothing that can’t be connected to the Internet: Tennis rackets, coffee makers, watches, jewelry, baby clothing, pet accessories, oven ranges and infinitely more appliances and household goods are all getting high-tech upgrades.
It’s called the “Internet of Things.”
To Shawn DuBravac, chief economist of the Consumer Electronics Association, which organizes the International Consumer Electronics Show, the important consideration is not whether a product can be digitized, but whether it should be. The question, he said, is ultimately “Does it make sense?”
Historically, crowds have flocked to the annual show to find out “what’s technologically possible, what’s technologically feasible,” DuBravac said. “But we’re now shifting, and no longer is the focus on what technologically can be done, it’s what technologically is meaningful.”
With so many competing Internet-connected products vying for attention at the massive event — more than 150,000 people are expected to attend Tuesday through Friday — many will ultimately fail. CES has become a place to “try to differentiate the winners from the losers,” DuBravac said. “As we digitize and connect and sensorize an increasing swath of our experience, CES becomes that pruning ground.”