In an ironic twist, the world’s biggest stage for displaying the most advanced technology was temporarily disrupted by a power outage. At approximately 11:30am US Pacific time, the lights went out in Central Hall, which houses huge displays from the likes of Sony, Samsung, LG, and Canon.
Attendees stopped in their tracks as what sounded like a fire alarm whirred, and an incomprehensible message played over the public-announcement system. The convention floor heated up without air conditioning, and enclosed spaces became unbearable. Sweat was poured. The lights came back on two hours later, allowing hundreds of presentations to reboot. The show went on.
Between two days of heavy rain and a blackout, the talk of CES hasn’t been about some bold vision of the future or new gadget, but of weather and electricity (or lack thereof). The Las Vegas Convention Center, opened in 1959, isn’t wearing its age well, springing leaks during the rainfall. It all feels like a not-so-gentle reminder that, regardless of how great our technology is, some elements are out of our control and no great leaps forward can be made without a solid infrastructure.
What to watch for today
Music, faced. This year’s keynote speeches were surrounded by an unusual amount of controversy. Intel CEO Brian Krzanich still appeared on stage despite a questionable stock sale after a historic security flaw was found in Intel chips but not yet publicly disclosed. That was followed by a Huawei executive ranting against American cellular carriers after AT&T abruptly pulled out of a deal to sell the company’s phones. But now the keynotes are over, it’s time for the smaller players to make some news.
CES starts in earnest. While the industry’s biggest players typically grab most of the spotlight, CES was originally meant for the broader tech industry. Today, industry insiders will walk the floor to find new products and strike deals in earnest. With more than 4,500 exhibitors spread over 11 official venues, it’s impossible to experience the full show in one or even two days. Now attendees will explore the nooks and crannies of the show, finding the oddities and gems that make CES such a spectacle.
Quartz talks startups. If you follow Quartz on Instagram, yesterday you saw the latest in autonomous cars, TSA-compliant scooters, connected refrigerators, and robot dogs in the North and Center Halls. Today we hit the Sands Expo Convention Center, talking to CES first-timers.
What everyone is talking about
Power outage. The central hall of the Las Vegas Convention Center was without power for about two hours, forcing thousands of attendees to head to the North or South halls, or outside. Security guards struggled to hold back those trying to re-enter the Central hall, and people’s attempts to leave, or recover their smartphones from charging stations that locked when the power went down, quickly went viral on Twitter.
The future is arriving. Last year’s North Hall was packed with elaborate displays of self-driving car concepts, elevated on plinths throughout the convention hall. This year, the tech was far more humdrum. Automakers were still showing off autonomous vehicles, but many were full-on prototypes rather than futuristic and fanciful designs. Much of what attendees were flocking to this year was difficult to see at first: Most companies used virtual-reality setups to show what it’ll be like to ride in a self-driving car, rather than big stage shows. Our autonomous future is quickly feeling very real.
Changing of the buzz guard. In recent years at CES, 3D printing, virtual reality, and drones have been touted as the future technologies that will be common parts of our lives. But the consumer drone market has largely consolidated around one Chinese company, DJI; 3D printing hasn’t really taken off (and was relegated to a distant corner of this year’s show); and major VR companies like Oculus and HTC didn’t bother with booths this year. But don’t worry, there are new hype trains to jump on! This year, augmented reality displays were everywhere, as well as personal robots.
News from around the world
YouTube punished vlogger Logan Paul. Google said it would remove Paul’s personal channel from YouTube’s premium advertisement lineup, Google Preferred, after he posted footage of a dead body in Japan’s so-called “suicide forest” last month.
South Korean authorities got ready to ban cryptocurrencies. The country’s justice minister said that it’s preparing a bill to ban trading of cryptoassets on exchanges—bitcoin plunged on the news. South Korean police and tax authorities also raided Coinone and Bithumb this week.
Copy that! Xerox is working on a deal Fuijifilm. The Connecticut-based printer and copier company, which has been battered by declining demand, is looking at possible deals with Japan’s Fujifilm. The Wall Street Journal notes (paywall) that this could include a change of control at Xerox. The two have long had a Asia Pacific joint venture, Fuji Xerox.
Matters of debate
The way we talk about sexting is sexist. Parents and teachers often focus on telling girls that they shouldn’t send nudes—instead of telling boys that asking for nudes is wrong.
Asteroid mining is about water, not valuable minerals. Extracting water from asteroids to make rocket propellant in space will make space travel cheaper.
Supply drives the US opioid epidemic. Opioid abuse is more strongly linked to drug availability than economic decline.
Surprising discoveries
Japan has a crypto girl-group. Members of Kasotsuka Shojo (“The Virtual Currency Girls”) represent different cryptocurrencies, and the group’s first single warns against fraudulent crypto-operators.
Switzerland ruled that lobsters must be stunned before they’re cooked. The government said lobsters may feel pain when plunged live into boiling water.
Uber is recruiting its first female taxi drivers in Saudi Arabia. Women make up 80% of Uber passengers in the country, which will lift the ban on women driving in June.
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