How The 2012 International CES opened its doors

01/23/2012

2012 International CES opened its doors with record number of exhibitors, more than 3,100 companies on a show floor with innovative product launches kicked off the 2012 CES with cutting-edge products including ultrabooks, voice and gesture-based technologies, smartphones and OLED TVs.

"With more than 3,100 companies showcasing more than 20,000 new products, the 2012 International CES was the world's largest hub for consumer technology innovation," said Gary Shapiro, president and CEO, CEA. "The pre-show media events, which had drawn record numbers, created tremendous buzz as the world awaited the next generation of technology at CES. From ultrabooks to digital health products to connected TVs, the innovation at the 2012 CES was nothing short of amazing, as attendees witnessed ground-breaking products spanning one of the largest show floors in CES history.”

The 2012 CES show floor covered 1.851 million net square feet of exhibit space – more than 37 football fields filled with consumer technology innovation. The 2011 CES featured 2,865 exhibitors across 1.65 million net square feet.

Microsoft President and CEO Steve Ballmer delivered a pre-CES keynote address Monday evening, featuring Ryan Seacrest as the celebrity host. During the address, Ballmer announced that Microsoft Kinect will come to Windows on February 1, 2012. Microsoft also demoed the Windows phone, showcasing new models launched at CES including the Nokia Lumia 900 and HTC Titan 2, and provided a demonstration of Windows 8. The new Xbox experience with Kinect was demonstrated to the audience, which will provide an entertainment hub with a new personalized viewer experience.

Pre-CES media events kicked off Sunday evening with CES Unveiled: The Official Press Event of CES. The sold out event featured a record number of 78 exhibiting companies and drew the highest media attendance in Unveiled history. With companies including Cobra Electronics, DISH Network, Lenovo, LG and Onstar, major trends at CES Unveiled included the latest in tablets, smartphones, solar charging devices and digital health products.

Product announcements continued on Monday, January 9 with CES Press Day, featuring 25 exhibitor press conferences, the largest number of Press Day events in CES history.

International CES - www.cesweb.org.