Strategy in TECH...
On Monday evening (January 3, 2022), as part of their festivities kicking off the 2022 edition of the Consumer Electronics Show (CES), Vice President of Research for the Consumer Technology Association (CTA) Steve Koenig shared what the association believes to be some of the top trends in Tech today. Saying, “…we’ve witnessed an abundance of innovation across this whole season and certainly over the past year…”
So let me start by saying there was a veritable slew of introductions at CES 2022 Media Day, which took place on Tuesday before the show opened. Most of them were incremental advancements of existing product lines. Only a couple of announcements rose above the noise to catch the attention of just about everyone who attended those presentations. One from an industry stalwart…and another from out of left field (almost literally).
Bowers & Wilkins (B&W) announced today that they have partnered with Chinese laser projector brand Formovie to create an all-in-one solution that redefines home-theater-in-a-box. The partners are creating a dynamic combination of ultra-short throw high quality laser projector with loudspeakers built-in for a compact total A/V solution.
Specialty audio maker AURALiC, Inc. announced today that it has partnered with Amazon to offer Amazon Music Unlimited on all streaming products. A dramatic announcement that brings literally millions of songs to AURALiC end users.
Crestron Electronics, one of the industry’s most powerful home automation brands, announced today that it has launched a new line of battery-powered custom shades. While Crestron has been in the shading business for quite some time now, this new line of battery-powered shades – to my mind at least – seems perfectly suited as a complement to their burgeoning Crestron Home residential automation ecosystem.
I recently became aware of the fact that Vanco, the Chicago-based manufacturer of a broad range of mostly accessory products had decided to become a master distributor for a product category that we all need, we all use, and yet to which we pay little attention. It is in this reality, Vanco’s President Mark Corbin tells me, that there lies a tremendous opportunity to better serve our customers and to add meaningful profit to our financials.
Bowers & Wilkins (B&W) continues to launch new products without missing a beat since they became part of Sound United a little over a year ago. And those products span the range from their revered high-end 800 Series Diamond models to now, a refresh of their Zeppelin speaker system that the company describes as “a complete stereo system in one component.”
Kaleidescape announced this week an expansion of its movie server line with the new compact Terra 18TB. Positioned as a mid-level model for the brand, the Terra 18TB offers some sweet features that are sure to make it a popular option for movie fans.
Rarely in the affordable high-performance audio market are product designers able to offer a solution that possesses an optimal combination of convenience, attractive design elements, and performance. But Pangea Audio, out of Grand Rapids, MI, has been able to achieve this holy trinity with their new Vulcan Turntable Wall-Mount Shelf.
IPORT, a Sonance company, announced this week it is launching an all-new, totally redesigned IPORT Connect Pro line of products. IPORT is an award-winning line of products that hold, charge, and protect tablets in a residential or commercial space. IPORT Connect Pro takes its already user-appreciated design and utility to the next level.
