Monday Market Update: Smart Home Updates From CES 2021

A summary of the new & continuing innovations to make your home smarter & your life easier in 2021 & beyond!

The annual Consumer Electronics Show (CES) may have been virtual this year – but like so much over the last 12 months – the show pivoted its product presentation to an online real-time format of events. Life lived almost entirely at home in 2020 impacted the smart home trends that dominated this live exhibition last week, though a current digital venue is open to registered attendees through February 15^th.

Here are just a few highlights of what was different, what was new and what products were a continuation or previous debuts. At the bottom of this article, we have included related reads for anyone who wants a deeper dive into home technology!

WHAT’S DIFFERENT

- The CES 2021 virtual format

-  A few big players ‘stayed home’ – even virtually (absentees include Google, Amazon & Apple).

- The pandemic was top of mind in technology across product categories.

WHAT’S TRENDING

- A common underlying theme was ‘home as headquarters’, with highlights of life as the center of schooling, work, entertainment, health & fitness.

- Touchless tech & UV disinfection.

-  Virtual home assistants (robots!).

- Enhanced home security.

- Products for pets.

WHAT’S NEW

- Luxury home innovation – Kohler’s Infinity Experience Tub, on-demand, fresh, single serve ice cream via the Sigma Phase Coldsnap & a human-sized robot helper (Samsung’s Bot Handy – still in concept phase).

- A new innovation for hearing loss that could be a hearing aid alternative via the Apple MFi Certified Noopl (equipped with technology licensed from the National Acoustics Laboratory in Sydney, Australia).

- Artificial Intelligence (AI) – powered washers & dryers.

WHAT’S IN MAINTENANCE MODE

Many products were upgrades of in-demand smart home products that have been hot and getting hotter… such as: simplified home security hubs, robotic vacuums & mops, integrated home audio for entertainment systems, smart smoke detectors, powerful routers & InstaView appliances (LG expanded this product line).

Resources Used & Further Reading

Explore Ces (Ces Official)

From Touchless To High-Tech, The Smart Home At CES 2021 Reflected The Times

The Pandemic Was Top Of Mind In The Tech Of CES 2021

Best Of CES 2021: The Smart Home And Home Entertainment Products That Captured Our Attention

CES 2021 News: It's Over – But Here Are The Highlights And Best Tech