CES 2020’s official exhibit ran January 7–10 in Las Vegas, with Media Days and preshow programming on January 5–6. The EE Times archive labels its coverage “Jan. 7–11,” but that is not the exhibit schedule. The event brought together thousands of exhibitors around connected intelligence, 5G, AI, electric and autonomous vehicles, digital health, and other consumer technologies.
When was CES 2020 in Las Vegas?
The Consumer Technology Association (CTA), which owned and produced CES, lists the 2020 exhibit dates as January 7–10. Media Days and preshow programming took place January 5–6. EE Times retains “Jan. 7–11” in its archive title, “CES 2020 Las Vegas – Jan. 7-11 – EETimes”; that range is an archive label, not the official exhibit dates. See the CTA event overview and its January 7 opening announcement.
How big was CES 2020?
CTA’s event overview described a show with more than 170,000 attendees, 4,500 exhibitors and over 1,100 industry thought leaders. Its opening announcement separately reported more than 4,400 exhibiting companies, including 1,200 startups. These are CTA’s event figures, rather than independently reconciled counts. The program included more than 300 conference sessions and keynotes featuring leaders from Samsung, Daimler/Mercedes-Benz, Delta Air Lines, Quibi and NBCUniversal, among others. CTA also said attendees averaged 33 meetings, estimated that the event saved executives 3.4 billion miles of business travel, and reported that about 48% intended to make a purchase or form a strategic partnership. Those are CTA event estimates, not measures of consumer purchases.
What were the biggest CES 2020 trends?
EE Times described the show’s central theme as a shift from connecting things to making connected products more intelligent. Steve Koenig, CTA’s vice president of market research, put it this way: “The last decade was about the internet of things [IoT] — but now, we kick off a new decade defined by the intelligence of things.” The idea connected several strands of the show:
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- AI and connected products: More intelligence was moving onto end devices and into everyday connected products, rather than remaining only in remote services.
- 5G: The new mobile network standard was presented as an enabler for connected services and devices. CTA forecast 20.3 million 5G smartphones for 2020; that was a forecast, not a later confirmed sales total.
- Vehicle electrification and autonomy: Electric vehicles, self-driving fleets and electric vertical takeoff and landing (eVTOL) concepts featured alongside broader vehicle technology. Koenig said, “We are finally at the inflection point where electrification makes sense. This is the decade for electrification of vehicles, not just cars. Electric vehicles (EVs) will be the big story for CES 2020.”
- Digital health: Products and ideas ranged from sleep and baby technology to telemedicine, remote surgery and AI-assisted diagnosis. CTA forecast 64 million digital-health devices for 2020, a projection rather than a verified count of devices sold.
- AR, VR and robotics: Coverage included more realistic AR glasses, six-degrees-of-freedom VR and robotics, alongside smart-home and smart-city technology.
The show also spanned sports and other technology marketplaces. CTA’s 2020 forecast for U.S. consumer-technology retail revenue was $422 billion, nearly 4% year-over-year growth. That figure describes the association’s 2020 forecast, not the amount generated by CES or a final industry result. The trend and forecast details were reported by EE Times.
What product stood out in EE Times’ CES 2020 coverage?
Pokit Meter and Pokit Pro
One clearly named product in EE Times’ Day 1 coverage was the Pokit Meter, a compact portable digital multimeter, and the more capable Pokit Pro. Pokit co-founder Paul Moutzouris said the show promotion offered the Meter for $71 shipped. He said the Pro had 10,000 pre-orders, was expected to ship in June, cost $95 and added waveform capability. These are the prices, preorder figure and shipment expectation he cited during CES 2020; they do not establish current pricing, inventory or availability.
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Moutzouris also claimed the Pro would be as accurate as a $700 Fluke meter. That is the company representative’s comparison, not independent test evidence. The interview does not provide test conditions or a model-to-model measurement comparison. Read the EE Times CES 2020 Day 1 recap for the product remarks.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.How to read CES launch and trend coverage
A CES announcement may describe a concept, demonstration, prototype, preorder or product already shipping. Those are different stages, so a show-floor appearance alone does not mean a product was commercially available. For any specific product, check what stage the company actually announced, its connectivity and compatibility requirements, power needs, and privacy or safety implications. Confirm current availability with the manufacturer or an authorized seller; CES 2020 reporting cannot establish today’s stock or pricing.
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Product prices and availability are accurate as of the date/time indicated and are subject to change. Any price and availability information displayed on Amazon at the time of purchase will apply.
