Is CES Losing Its Relevance?

The subtext this week at CES was whether the gonzo tech event is even relevant anymore.
Over the years, major tech brands have increasingly taken their most important events and announcements off-site — either in different locations across the Las Vegas Strip or in completely separate, dedicated events.
So does CES matter anymore? Well, that depends on whom one asks.

CES signage welcoming attendees. 
Adriana Lee

As a spectacle, the show is as fierce as ever — in various ways.
The major news this year centered on Ivanka Trump’s keynote, a session that kicked up controversy, given her tenuous cred in technology and the lack of female representation in the tech show’s keynote roster.
Consumer Technology Association president and chief executive officer Gary Shapiro was forced to defend his choice to various outlets, and it all led up to an onstage conversation that was, at best, polite — and, at worst, obsequious. At one point, Shapiro thanked her for her “passion” in addressing U.S. jobs and called it “infectious.” Ultimately, though, it wound being a rather drama-free affair.

Ivanka Trump at CES 2020. 
Adriana Lee

The assortment and range of tech on view spanned the spectrum, from gimmicky to genuinely intriguing. But it was hard to overlook the fact that

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