Thousands of companies are looking forward to this year’s CES so that they can showcase their newest technologies and fabricate new partnerships. Every year, the Consumer Technology Association picks twenty products for the Innovation Awards in consumer tech products.
Various categories are available, including home speakers, cameras, robots, home appliances, computer accessories, and 3D printing. Some of the rules include releasing items between the Aprils of 2017 and 2018.
CES 2018
Usually, Google doesn’t have a significant presence at CES. However, that is expected to change this year. This time around, Google stands out from other exhibitors. For the first time in a very long time, the company will have a separate and large booth right at the heart of the convention. Moreover, this time round, the company has gone beyond purchasing space.
Google has gone further to commission a number of large advertisements around Las Vegas, including “Hey Google”, which are words currently displayed along the Las Vegas Monorail, the city’s public transportation system that will ferry attendees into the convention center the entire week.
At the convention-center’s parking lot, the company has also set up a big monument. Since the multistory monument is still under construction, it is difficult to tell exactly what is going on in there.
Furthermore, the side of the booth has a superfluous spiraling slide and a peculiar Google Assistant ball-pit game close to the main entrance of the convention center. These moves by Google are aimed at making all attendees get used to intermingling with its digital assistant.
The CES 2018 is expected to officially begin on Jan. 9th, but people are already getting a sense of what they are likely to see during the show. It is clear that artificial intelligence will be constructed into futuristic everyday household items.
Even after being in Las Vegas for about 6 hours, I could see artificial assistants, the likes of Amazon Alexa and Google packed into a variety of household items such as shower heads, bathroom mirrors, and smoke alarms. Moreover, I saw these artificial assistants built into revolutionary techs like home robots.
From the apparent trend, my takeaway was: Virtual assistants, which are powered by artificial intelligence, are going to be platform agnostic and will be constructed into everything. I also realized that digital assistants will be the connective tissue that will collectively bind our digital lives throughout several providers, home equipment, and rooms.
Google to Keep the Pressure on Amazon Using CES
For Google, this year’s CES is already working out well for its artificial intelligence. It is now evident that a number of giant companies will be manufacturing their merchandise around the Google Assistant.
Additionally, most of these companies may as well combine Amazon’s Alexa assistant into the same products. Presently, it appears that the Calif.-based company might finally find its way back into the AI arms race after straggling in the battle’s first few rounds. Although the company hasn’t been doing well at CES in the recent years, it is understandable for the company to want to make a significant impact this year.
Sometime last week, the company announced that in every second it had sold more than one Google Home gadget since launching the Home Mini in October last year. That translates to approximately 6.4 million devices in the last couples of months excluding the original Home speakers that have been around since the fall of 2016.
Clearly, 2017 was very successful for Google and going forward; the company intends to keep the pressure on Amazon using the CES. The company may not announce new products this week; instead, attendees should expect information about new collaborations especially with 3rd party hardware developers.
For a while now, Amazon has been doing the same with Alexa, but it is a pretty new field for the Assistant. With the wide range of companies here in Las Vegas, it is likely that most of them will highlight how they are incorporating Google Assistant into their products. Don’t be surprised to see television sets with in-built Google Assistants.
Read more: 7 Facts Why Google Assistant is Preferred to Siri
Conclusion
Unlike before, Google has made a significant presence in this year’s CES. The event scheduled to officially begin on January 9th is likely going to be the biggest ever. With its various large ads around the city, it is evident that the search giant wants people to get used to interrelating with Google Assistant.
Many big and small companies are talking about Google Assistant, which emerges as Alexa’s first real contender. It is important to have a Google Assistant that works with other ‘smart’ devices presently on the market. According to Google, its artificial assistant is in a position to work with over 1,500 devices from more than 225 brands. This implies that the average consumer will have an easy time finding what they need especially when upgrading their homes.
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