CES 2011: Mobile Grows Up

By Leanne Westphal

At the 2011 Consumer Electronic Show a lot of the buzz at the show centered on the emerging mobile universe and specifically the Android-based devices. While CES features the latest and greatest in web connected, 3D and entertainment content driven HDTV’s, home entertainment systems, and high technology audio, it was evident that the show’s hottest mobile products drew the lion share of the attention. The big picture view is that the host of mobile devices based on Android, iOS and other mobile operating systems are moving us closer to the beginning of the post-PC era. One of the best examples of this emerging mobile technology at CES is the new Android smartphone, the Atrix, which may help make the bulky laptop become part of technology history.

Bill Ogle, chief marketing officer at Motorola Mobility stated that, "Consumers are increasingly using smartphones as their primary digital screens." As the year 2011 unfolds, there will be even more post-PC developments as Google’s Chrome OS is expected to be released this summer. During 2011, Apple’s iPad can expect some serious competition develop from Android 3.0 “Honeycomb” tablets. With numerous implementations of the latest technology, it is evident that there is a common vision of ending the traditional PC era and moving on to mobile hardware such as iPads, tablets, and Chromebooks. As the mobile segment continues to mature it is likely that hardware and software will be iOS or Android centric for the foreseeable future. RIM and HP are projected to sell significant numbers of devices however they will not be leading the pack. Window Phone 7, contrary to what Microsoft states, appears to be headed for the “also ran” category even though it represents the company’s best effort to date for this segment.

Related Link:

http://www.pcworld.com/article/216367-3/key_mobile_trends_of_ces_2011.html