Sitting here in India and reading these overviews on the CES, one gets the feeling that today consumer elctronics means only smartphones and tablets. What is happening in Tvs and those 3D technologies? Last year there was so much talk about them. Have those things reached a dead end of innovation?
Intel has driven the concept and definition of the ultrabook, and has shown that the tagline "powered by Intel" is not just self-aggrandizement. The aim of this line of devices does seem to be to give the Macbook Air line a run for its money. For instance in a key category, battery life, the results are a photo finish at six hours each between the 13" Macbook Air and the HP Folio of equal size.
All of this says something about Apple. It's definitely true that what seems like an age-old conflict between the Mac and PC isn't going to fade anytime soon.
The advances in automotive fuel efficiency and in-car infotainment are really very impressive. However it does mean that mere mortals have no chance of ever repairing a "digital" car anymore.
I agree with Barbara, let the consumers talk about fancy products, but for designers and the supply chain, its more about what is going on behind the hood and who is taking over.
Intel is really working to get its cut from the smart phone and tablet market, let's see how far they can go in 2012.
As for smart phones and tablets, we might just have to find a new name that combines both into one, the line between them is getting thinner and thinner. With the internet, business and socials are done more and more via mail, chat, video conferencing and the likes, so what's the point of calling them phones when calls acount for just a small fraction of what they do.
Samsung Galaxy Note? Hadn't heard of it but really? That thin line between phones and tablets is lost, but (IMHO) is too big for a phone! Maybe we should redefine what a phone is, but you can't put it in your pocket and it would be to hard to carry around.
Todd--this is a nice wrap-up of CES from the standpoint of chips and the role in the supply chain. From what I remember from other CES, the whiz-bang visual stuff always steals the show, and little attention is paid to the guts of the designs. EBN, EETimes and many of our other pubs have begun to cover CES from the standpoint of the design engineer and buyer, and that adds a lot of value to the discussion and helps buyers plan for the future.
EBN Dialogue enables and encourages you to participate in live chats with notable leaders and luminaries. Not only editors and journalists, but the entire EBN community is able to comment and ask questions. Listed below are upcoming and archived chats.
Archived Dialogues
Thailand Stages a Comeback Join EBN contributor Jennifer Baljko on Thursday August 23, 2012, at 11:00 a.m. EST for a live chat on how electronic manufacturers in Thailand have shored up their supply chain to reduce the impact of future natural disasters.
Euro-Crisis: What It Means for High-Tech Firms Join EBN Editor in Chief Bolaji Ojo and Contributing Editor Jennifer Baljko on Thursday, July 12, at 10:00 a.m. EDT for a Live Chat on high-tech and Europe's economic difficulties.
Microsoft Surface: Potential Winners & Losers What are the implications for the electronics industry supply chain of Microsoft Corp.'s decision to launch its own tablet PC? Join industry veteran and EE Times' systems and OEM expert Rick Merritt on Tuesday, July 3, at 12:00 pm EDT for a Live Chat on this subject.
Join EBN contributor Jennifer Baljko on Thursday August 23, 2012, at 11:00 a.m. EST for a live chat on how electronic manufacturers in Thailand have shored up their supply chain to reduce the impact of future natural disasters.
Peter Drucker famously said "Trying to predict the future is like trying to drive down a country road at night with no lights while looking out the back window." Yet in the razor's-edge world of electronics—with a lean supply chain and just-in-time demands—the need to know the future is vital.
While no one really can accurately predict the future, we can take guidance from another Drucker saying which is the best way to predict the future is to create it.
You've heard the saying "the No. 1 supply chain risk is your people." That hasn't always been the case. But today's complex global supply chain requires a new type of multitalented employee. It's one who understands, finance, marketing, economics, is savvy with technology, graceful with relationships and can think analytically.
Where are these people? Are universities properly preparing the next generation supply chain professionals? How do train your existing workforce for these new, demanding positions?
Brian Fuller, editor-in-chief of EBN, will lead a 60-minute Avnet Velocity panel discussion that will ask and answer these and other questions swirling around today's supply-chain talent challenges.
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