CES 2022 will continue as offline event despite Meta, Amazon pulling out: Here's what to expect

Several major tech, telecom and social media companies have pulled out of the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) 2022, which is returning as an in-person event for the first time in two years. The companies, which cited rising cases of covid-19's omicron variant, include Amazon, Nvidia, Meta (formerly Facebook), T-Mobile, Twitter and Pinterest.

But CES 2022 will continue as an in-person despite these exits, and is set to begin on January 5, till January 8, executives from Consumer Technology Association, the trade group that organizes the event, told Adweek.

According to a Bloomberg report, Qualcomm, OnePlus and HTC are also planning to attend the in-person event, while AMD and Samsung will participate with a limited audience. The likes of Google, Samsung and Sony are still monitoring the on-ground situation and will take a call in the next few days. Nvidia won't be a part of the in-person event, but will participate with a virtual keynote.

CES, which is one of the largest tech shows in the world, drew thousands of tech companies, industry people and consumers every year before the pandemic. The last in-person event organized in January 2020 was attended by 4,419 tech companies, while the total attendance was 171,268, as per the CES attendance audit summary. 

While the show won't be the same this time either, companies still do use it as a chance to show off what's next.

Nvidia

Among the companies that are expected to participate, Nvidia in its virtual session will showcase its latest developments in accelerated computing, which includes a new design, simulation, gaming and autonomous vehicles. The presentation will be made by Jeff Fisher, senior vice president of GeForce, and Ali Kani, vice president and general manager of Automotive, the company said in an official post. 

Accelerated computing has been one of the core focus areas for Nvidia in recent times. According to the company, accelerated computing combines the powers of a CPU and other processors including GPU to speed up computing and handle frequently occurring resource-intensive tasks.

Samsung

On the other hand, Samsung, which has recently restructured its company to merge the mobile and consumer electronics units into one, is planning to showcase a new solution that will help customers better integrate all of their smart home devices. 

In an official post, JH Han, CEO and Head of DX (Device eXperience) Division, Samsung Electronics, said the company will also talk about its new collaboration and industry partnerships in consumer Internet of Things (IoT), and will unveil products that will allow users to watch TV from anywhere, and will improve gaming experience while making it more immersive. 

According to some reports, Samsung will also showcase its new line up of Quantum Dot OLED TVs. The South Korean firm may also launch the 'FE' (Fan Edition) version of its flagship Galaxy S21 series smartphones.

Japanese electronics major Sony, which has also been a regular at CES, is expected to unveil a new lineup of TVs powered by Samsung’s QD-OLED TVs. 

Qualcomm

Chipmaker firm Qualcomm also has several new products lined up for CES 2022. According to an official post, the company is planning to showcase products that will power upcoming smartphones, laptops, virtual reality (VR) and augmented reality (AR) experiences. The company is also expected to talk about its breakthroughs in IoT, edge computing and automotive.

OnePlus

Though most mobile companies hold their new launches for Mobile World Congress (MWC), held at the end of February, analysts have predicted that Chinese smartphone company OnePlus may unveil the OnePlus 10 series at CES 2022. Earlier this month, CEO Pete Lau, said that the company’s next flagship is coming in January. It will be one of the first smartphones based on Qualcomm’s latest Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 processor.

Automobiles

Further, automotive has always been one of the biggest attractions at CES. At CES 2022, Mitsubishi Electric is planning to launch an automated tyre replacement system and a concept car model called EMIRAI xS Drive. The company will also talk about its vision for the next 100 years and the role its technology will play in it.

Hyundai Mobis, a subsidiary of Hyundai motors, may also showcase two concept cars M.Vision POP and M.Vision 2GO at the event. The concept cars will rotate 360-degree, support parallel parking with four wheels bent at 90 degrees and can communicate with surroundings including pedestrians. Other automotive companies including General Motors, BMW and Daimler are also expected to participate in the in-person event.

Lastly, the Pandemic has also spurred interest in health tech startups that are using tech to fight the virus and its numerous strains. According to CES’ event organizers, more than 100 companies are expected to exhibit health tech products at CES 2022. 3M, Abbott, Dassault Systèmes, OMRON Healthcare, OrCam, Penumbra, Sleep Number and Philips are some of the companies that will be present.