EVENTS

Livestream or Las Vegas?

CES 2021—as in, the physical show—is officially a go for next January, according to its organizers, the Consumer Technology Association (CTA). The flagship tech trade show plans to give companies the chance to display new products “both physically in Las Vegas and digitally.” 

Hmmm...

CES 2020, which took place from Jan. 7–10, was one of the final IRL conferences this year. Since conference-goers fly in from around 160 countries, the risk of infection will be top of mind for those who decide to attend next year. 

"There's a reason there's already a flu named after CES. Should probably cancel this one," tech YouTuber Marques Brownlee tweeted. 

A true gamble

On the one hand, canceling CES 2021 would be a significant financial hit for both the host city and the organizers. Estimates for CES 2020 = 175,000+ attendees, 2.9 million square feet of exhibition spaces, and almost $300 million in economic impact for Las Vegas. 

• A $980 million expansion project for the Las Vegas Convention Center, which will host the trade show, is nearly complete. 
• A CES ticket starts at $300; a square foot of exhibition space costs $41–$46. You can do the back-of-the-napkin math to see what CTA would be missing out on. 

On the other hand, COVID-19. The world won’t be virus-free in January. To account for the health risks, CTA says it will institute sanitization best practices, encourage social distancing, and limit touch points. 

• An aside: Expect anti-virus tech (such as thermal scanners) to be its own category. 

Who’s in and who’s out? 

Many exhibitors wanted the physical show to go on, a CTA rep told the Brew.

Some Big Tech might not be on that list: Microsoft and Facebook have canceled all physical events until at least mid-2021. But remember, Big Tech doesn’t need CES for press or attention—these companies hold their own events.

Bottom line: CES runs on handshake deals and seeing products in the flesh, but the 2021 event will have fewer attendees, less crowding on showroom floors, and more livestreams. The show may never be the same.

AUTOMATION

Apple’s Human Touch

Along with iTunes and the Macintosh Portable, automated production lines have been consigned to the dustbin of Apple history.

Yesterday, The Information offered an inside look at Apple’s quest for assembly line automation. In 2012, the company formed a skunkworks robotics/automation lab in Sunnyvale, CA. A year later, Apple previewed a roboticized iPad assembly belt from supplier Foxconn. 

Verdict: The bots didn’t cut it for Apple, and it disbanded the lab in 2018. Robots lacked the dexterity or flexibility to assemble Apple’s meticulously designed products. In 2014, for example, automated MacBook assembly caused more problems than it solved, creating “traffic jams” and forcing humans to step in and fix the mistakes. 

• Automation projects did find success in one area: quality assurance.
• The robots weren’t allowed anywhere near the iPhone, Apple’s favorite child. 

The lesson: Though robots typically thrive in manufacturing environments, over-automation can cost companies. Even Tesla has struggled with over-automation in the Model 3 assembly line.

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AI

Always On

It’s difficult to overstate the role that smartphone cameras are playing in current events. A bystander recorded George Floyd’s death on her smartphone. Smartphone footage of peaceful protests met by police violence—and videos of looting—have become viral fixtures on news feeds this week. 

The always-on camera dynamic cuts two ways. Beyond our internet-connected glass rectangles, AI-powered cameras are proliferating across public spaces. 

Surveillance cameras can be found in nearly 30% of smart homes in the U.S., U.K., Germany, and France, according to Strategy Analytics research released Wednesday. Amazon’s Ring, a dominant vendor, has partnerships with hundreds of police departments across the U.S. 

• What that means: Authorities can access and search footage from automated, always-on camera networks. 

Skydio’s day job is making tiny consumer drones that can fly autonomously, but the startup has also chased millions of dollars’ worth of government surveillance projects, Forbes reported Wednesday. Surveillance has been a key use case for drones during the pandemic. 

Zoom out: Ubiquitous recording, cheap storage, and AI edge computing = less privacy. 

BITS & BYTES

Stat: Encrypted messaging app Signal was downloaded 37,000 times over the weekend, likely in connection to the protests. On Tuesday, Signal broke into the top 10 most downloaded social apps on iOS. 

Quote: “This is a reality I went through, and I know it’s a reality he’ll go through.”—Charles L. Isbell Jr., dean of Georgia Institute of Technology’s College of Computing, reflecting on the racial injustice facing his son in American society. 

Read: A reader put together a database of antiracism resources, company statements, and ways to donate or show support.

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WHAT ELSE IS BREWING

• France and Germany endorsed plans to create Gaia-X, a pan-European cloud computing ecosystem. Say what you want about the feasibility, Gaia-X is a cool name. 
• Snap said it would stop promoting President Trump’s Snapchat account in its Discover section. This doesn’t mean his account is being delisted, just that his posts won’t be promoted to non-followers. 
• SoftBank unveiled a $100 million “Opportunity Fund” to invest in companies founded by people of color. Half of the returns will be reinvested into subsequent opportunity funds.
• Google deleted "Remove China Apps” from the Play Store as tensions mount between the world’s two most populous countries. The viral Indian app was designed to highlight apps of Chinese origin.

GOING PHISHING

Three of the following four stories are true, and one...I made up. Can you spot the odd one out?

1. A version of Honor’s new smartphone will contain a temperature sensor. 
2. A Canadian scientist is nearly ready to release four deep-sea robotic squids into the Atlantic Ocean for a research project.
3. Not missing a beat, SpaceX launched a new batch of internet satellites on Wednesday night.
4. Chinese AI startup SenseTime introduced a new computer vision system to ensure shared bike users park properly on city streets.

TECH THINGAMABOBS

Food for thought: Thuan Pham, Uber’s ex-CTO who left the company last month, told Bloomberg that the ride-hailing giant should partner with companies with more advanced self-driving technology rather than build it themselves. 

For light reading on something not even remotely on the horizon: Companies are jockeying to set the technological standards for 6G, Nikkei reports. 6G commercialization isn’t expected to begin until 2027. Maybe read about 5G instead?

GOING PHISHING ANSWER

A Canadian scientist isn’t releasing robot squids into the Atlantic.