Augmented reality and VR innovation were the standout themes at CES 2023 in Las Vegas, along with new-media auto technology.
Augmented reality and VR developments are set to dominate in 2023, while automobile and industrial companies look to make inroads in the technology space, according to Bloomberg Intelligence that highlights the innovations that could shape the coming year.
Extended reality (XR) and augmented reality (AR) environments and hardware offered by Meta, Roblox, Nitanic and Nvidia were leading themes at CES. Accenture forecasts a $1 trillion opportunity by 2025, which includes remote content. Retailers and product designers remain committed to XR not only as a marketing platform but as a cost-savings collaboration workspace, which appears to be gaining steam.
HTC’s $1,099 Vive XR Elite, an extended-reality (XR) headset due out late February, is a new contender to the premium AR/VR gadget line up, which includes Meta’s Quest Pro, Sony’s PSVR 2 and Apple’s coming XR device. Priced below Quest Pro’s $1,500 yet with similar features, Vive XR Elite comes with a compact design, has a swappable battery cradle and can fold up like sunglasses, both novel features in high-end VR headsets. HTC’s feature-rich XR device might help bring more metaverse applications closer to reality with its enhanced portability.
Innovation in VR/AR is building a $1 trillion opportunity by 2025, while compute and OLED consumer technologies advances will aid a poor spending outlook. HTC and TCL VR/AR headsets join Meta’s Quest and may broaden adoption. Dell and HP are on track for long-term growth via premium products and hybrid work as PC demand falls.
Dell and HP are focusing on premium products and laptops and peripherals that target a growing work-from-home workforce. Dell’s G-series gaming laptop and HP’s Dragonfly Pro laptop and Poly work-from-home earbuds aim to expand into these categories. While the PC industry will be challenged in 2023 with units falling seven per cent year-on-year, BI believes the PC use case is evolving, which could support shipments over the long-term.
Auto and agriculture steal CES 2023 spotlight
Honda, Deere, Aptiv and Valeo used CES to showcase innovation. Sony’s Afeela EV collaboration with Honda, Qualcomm and Epic Games shows the growing consumer influence on autos. Deere’s new ExactShot planting system combines AI and robotics to potentially disrupt the agricultural industry.
Aptiv, Infi neon and Valeo are among automotive tech companies focused on adding in-vehicle connectivity and creating unique user interfaces to create a recurring revenue stream. Valeo was positioning level 4 autonomous driving as a safety advance.
Sony will work with Honda, Qualcomm and Epic Games to develop EVs and content for the next generation of mobile entertainment led by the Afeela EV, equipped with 45 sensors and controlled by Qualcomm’s advanced chipsets. Combining sports, movies, music and games with the metaverse could create new areas of fan engagement. In the two years leading up to the start of pre-orders in 2025, Sony and Sony Honda Mobility could create deeper EV businesses that raise the tech bar even higher.
The introduction of new planting technology, ExactShot, highlighted Deere’s 2023 CES show reflects the company’s move toward a subscription model. ExactShot uses sensors and robotics to place starter fertiliser onto seeds as they are planted instead of applying a continuous flow. This can reduce the amount of starter fertiliser, which accounts for about 15-20 per cent of the fertilizer used in a season, needed during planting by more than 60 per cent. Deere’s See & Spray Ultimate product was also a focal point and can reduce the amount of herbicides farmers need by up to two-thirds. Elevated input costs help make these new precision farming products more compelling and could help drive faster adoption rates.
The new technology rollouts come amid a poor forecast for US tech retail sales which are expected to fall 2.4 per cent $485 billion this year, according to the Consumer Technology Association.
