I Just Don’t Get CES

People who have worked with — and for — me know this about me:

Half-baked work sold as a complete and acceptable solution will get under my skin every time.

If the person cannot grasp that their work could even be potentially shoddy, and I’m prone to having an aneurism.

I have found over the years that this character trait[1] shows up in all sorts of weird situations. One of the most disconnected one might be tech products and announcements.

That’s why I get angry every year when CES rolls around.

Every January, tech companies use the event to showcase their newest products. Over the years, these companies have pushed out hundreds of netbooks, TVs, e-readers, cameras and Android tablets into the world.

And most of them really, really suck.

Companies like Palm and Microsoft have used the show to off their plans and products. The original Pre was announced there in 2009, while the boys and girls from Redmond have talked about Windows Slates for what seems like an eternity.

It seems that things announced at CES are cursed. Maybe it’s because the event takes place in January, and these companies don’t have much to show off right after the holidays that’s any good.

While I’m sure that has a lot to do with it,[^2] I think that most of these companies simply don’t have any decent products to announce. Without a doubt, this year’s CES coverage will be full of semi-decent ultrabooks, cheap tablets, some crazy new television technology no one will actually want (or be able) to use and about a million new iPhone accessories.

None of these products will change the world. None of them will create blocks-long lines at their launch. It is hard to get people excited for cheap, shoddy devices that more and more look like knock-offs of Cupertino’s work.

In short, CES doesn’t have the magic a show of its size should have. I just don’t understand why people — mainly, the tech press — keep pretending it does.