Apple hasn’t had a major presence at the biggest technology show of the year – the Consumer Electronics Show – in almost three decades, but that’s about to change in 2020.
According to Bloomberg‘s well-connected tech reporter Mark Gurman, Apple will be out in force at CES 2020 in Las Vegas next week in order to showcase the HomeKit smart home system.
While Apple tends to showcase its products at its own events, its hand may be forced this year by the heavy presence of Amazon and Google at the show, pertaining to the rival Alexa and Google Assistant smart home tools.
Gurman says not to expect any new Apple-made hardware, but some companies could show off new gadgets that will have Siri voice controls built in.
We already knew Apple was planning to be on hand in an official capacity for the first time since 1992 as part of a consumer privacy panel taking place on January 7, but the HomeKit news would signify a much more significant presence.
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Whether that means Apple will actually have its own stand on the show floor, or will be positioned at other hardware manufactures’ stands to extol the virtues of the new HomeKit-enabled gadgets remains to be seen.
The last time Apple appeared at CES was to announce the Newton, the palm-based PDA that was an early pre-cursor to what the iPad and iPhone ranges would eventually become.
Apple did make its presence felt at last year’s expo, with a giant banner informing visitors – and rivals – that “what happens on your iPhone, stays on your iPhone,” in a clear nod to the famous slogan “what happens in Vegas, stays in Vegas.”
The company was also reportedly at the 2019 show in a more clandestine manner, to speak to potential suppliers for its rumoured augmented reality glasses.
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Editorial independence means being able to give an unbiased verdict about a product or company, with the avoidance of conflicts of interest. To ensure this is possible, every member of the editorial staff follows a clear code of conduct.
Professional conduct
We also expect our journalists to follow clear ethical standards in their work. Our staff members must strive for honesty and accuracy in everything they do. We follow the IPSO Editors’ code of practice to underpin these standards.