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The State of Audio at CES 2021
Going to CES over the past few years was like walking into a candy store for anyone in the business of audio. There were smart speakers, infotainment stacks in cars, and hearable devices on the hardware side of the business. On the content side was an explosion of innovation in podcasting, streaming, and artificial intelligence. There was even a Disney-like ride from Google.
Of course, everything was different this year.
Last week’s stripped-down and virtual CES experience had a changed feel. Amazon and Google were not on hand (no Disney-like ride from Google), and as one might expect, the car companies had limited participation. All of these factors combined meant audio didn’t have the same profile as years past.
One of the great values of going to CES is seeing where audio fits into the larger marketplace.
C Space, which covers the intersection of entertainment and tech, didn’t have any direct podcast or audio related sessions. This omission was a bit of a surprise but may speak more to the seismic changes in entertainment consumption brought on by working at home, and the ongoing streaming service wars.
