The only "Philips" you'll see at CES 2009 will be at the Funai booth.
(Credit: CNET)Philips will not be exhibiting at the 2009 Consumer Electronics Show. The Philips brand, however, will still be on display at the Las Vegas Convention Center, thanks to the expanded presence of Funai--the Japanese company that will be producing TVs sold in North America under the Philips name starting later this year.
A Philips representative confirmed to CNET that the Dutch electronics giant will not have a presence on the show floor at the mammoth Las Vegas trade show, verifying rumors that had surfaced earlier this year.
Traditionally, the Consumer Electronics Association's massive January event is used by industry stalwarts to highlight emerging trends and key products that will be introduced over the course of the subsequent year and beyond. Philips' exit from that high-profile showcase comes in the wake of its recent announcement that it's outsourcing TV production to Funai for Philips- and Magnavox-branded sets sold in the North American market.
Indeed, Funai is doing its part to fill the void left by Philips' exit from the show. A spokesman for the Consumer Electronics Association, the industry group that runs CES, had this to say:
Philips has been a pioneer in the consumer technology industry, and a well-known brand for consumers in the U.S. and around the world. The recent license agreement between Philips and Funai was a strategic business decision between two consumer technology companies. CEA respects the strategic decisions that all of our 2,700 exhibitors make regarding their business model and the International CES. We look forward to welcoming the Philips brand back to the 2009 CES in a new way, through its partnership with Funai, which has significantly increased exhibit space for the 2009 show to approximately 10,000 net square feet.
Keep in mind that 10,000 square feet may sound like a lot, but it's small potatoes compared with the megabooths that house major manufacturers like Sony, Samsung, Panasonic, and--up through last year--Philips.
While not having to pay for all that space on the show floor will undoubtedly save Philips considerable expense, it will also mean forfeiting the publicity and intangible buzz that comes from being at the center of the industry's biggest annual event. Just last year, for instance, the company snagged the Best of CES award for its energy-efficient Eco TV (though its admittedly impressive low power consumption couldn't overshadow the middling picture quality evident when we reviewed the final product).
The company could still use the show as a springboard for new product announcements, however: it's all but certain Philips will still have some personnel on hand at CES for meetings with journalists, analysts, retailers, and other industry insiders. And plenty of CES no-shows still crank out the press releases during that week--with the seemingly endless list of gadget blogs and tech sites covering the show, all a company really needs is a product photo and a descriptive blurb to get some virtual ink.
To be sure, skipping CES doesn't necessarily confine a company to also-ran status. Nintendo and Apple, two of the hottest names in the industry, have long since spurned the Vegas show. Likewise, Onkyo and Yamaha have opted out in recent years. Furthermore, Philips is quick to point out that the company is still producing, selling, and marketing all of its own non-TV products for North America. And it will continue to produce TVs for other global territories--most notably Europe--where its brand remains stronger.
Still, when one considers that Funai already produces electronics that are sold under the labels Sylvania and Emerson, you have to wonder: is Philips on the road to joining those once hoary companies as a ghost brand--a holding company that just licenses its Western name to give better brand cachet on store shelves to an anonymous Asian manufacturer? Maybe, maybe not. But skipping the world's biggest consumer electronics show doesn't exactly inspire confidence.
What do you think: Is the Philips brand in decline? Does Philips' no-show mean CES is losing some of its luster as the consumer electronics industry's ultimate sneak preview? Or is this just more "inside baseball" industry gossip that will have little impact on the future of consumer electronics? Share your thoughts below.
Do you really think of Kevin Costner when you think about wireless communications?
The actor/director and his band performing at the CEA Wireless Communications Division reception is just one example of the curious intersection of tech and celebrity that will take place at the 2008 International Consumer Electronics Shows (CES) January 7-10.
The Consumer Electronics Association (CEA), which puts on the show, announced on Friday a preliminary list of celebrity performances and appearances taking place throughout the week of CES.
Indy car driver Danica Patrick will be at the GoDaddy.com booth at the Las Vegas Convention Center, while Mad Mike from the MTV car show Pimp My Ride will be at the Mitek's booth.
John Lennon widow and artist Yoko Ono, Black Eyed Peas band member Will.i.am, and Pat Monahan from the band Train will be at the John Lennon Education Tour Bus event. Davis Ortiz of the Boston Red Sox will make an appearance at the Sharp booth, while filmmaker/actor Michael Douglas is scheduled to be at the Venetian hotel for the XStream HD press conference.
Singer Mary J. Blige will headline the Monster Cable concert at the Paris Hotel along with musician Sheila E. Prince is also "expected to be in attendance," according to a CEA statement.
CES is famous for its announced and unannounced appearances of big and small screen names. In 2006, actor Tom Cruise saved then-Yahoo CEO Terry Semel from an embarrassing demo glitch that prevented him from showing off the company's Go TV. Ellen DeGeneres spiced up Semel's keynote with jokes about her own tech foibles. That same year, actor Tom Hanks and filmmakers Ron Howard and Brian Grazer popped up at Sony's panel discussion on its HD filmmaking equipment.
More than 50 percent of households in the U.S. own a digital television, according to preliminary report results released Friday by the Consumer Electronics Association (CEA).
The organization, known for its annual International Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas, predicted that digital television manufacturers will post an 11 percent growth totaling more than $25 billion for 2007. For 2008, the group expects 32 million more television units to ship, with 79 percent of those televisions being HDTVs.
CEA plans to release the full findings of its state-of-the-television-industry report at a presentation given by CEA analyst Steve Koenig on January 5. The 2008 International CES is scheduled to take place January 7-10.
View complete CES 2008 coverage from CNET.
General Motors Chairman and CEO Rick Wagoner will be a keynote speaker at the 2008 International Consumer Electronics Show, the Consumer Electronic Association announced Monday.
This will be GM's first keynote at the trade show, which is known for attracting celebrities eager to see the latest in high-tech gadgets, as well as the world press.
Wagoner joins technology leaders Bill Gates of Microsoft, Paul Otellini of Intel, and Panasonic's Toshihiro Sakamoto, who have also confirmed as speakers for the international trade show that takes place annually in Las Vegas.
While Wagoner might seem like a stretch for a consumer electronics trade show, the choice makes sense given the increase in computer technology being implemented in cars.
The 2008 car model year is poised to be the year when things like touch screens, hands-free Bluetooth communications, entertainment centers and high-tech navigation go from after-market add-ons or high-end options in luxury models to optional or even standard equipment for entire car lineups, according to a recent report from the Telematics Research Group (see PDF).
GM has been struggling for market share with Asian competitors like Toyota, which recently surpassed GM as the world's largest automaker in terms of world sales. As part of its effort to move forward and stay competitive, the company has announced the Chevy Volt, an electric car it says will be ready for sale by 2010.
And while is hasn't named names, GM maintains that it's partnering with "top names in the software industry" to help it develop the tools for evolving its cars into computers on wheels.
"In fuel economy or safety or telematics, software plays a major role," Hans-Georg Frischkorn, executive director of global electrical systems, controls and software at GM, told CNET News.com.
Frishkorn said that GM sees software "as one of the next frontiers."
News flash: Americans have money to throw around. And we like to spend it on shiny, new gadgets.
The Consumer Electronics Association, a trade group representing electronics companies, released a study Thursday that shows the average American adult spends $1,200 on electronic gizmos each year. The result is that the average U.S. household has about 25 consumer electronics products each.
Though we're still snatching up CE mainstays like cell phones and cameras, the top growth sectors in the industry are digital video recorders, network routers, MP3 players and cable modems, according to the study. So, though it's long been predicted we'd be living in totally wired homes, the increasing popularity of DVRs and routers indicate we may finally be on our way.
The study also found that teens spend $350 a year on gadgets, roughly half of their discretionary money, and adults with teens living in the home, spend $500 more than the national average of $1,200.
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