• Home
  • Latest
  • Fortune 500
  • Finance
  • Tech
  • Leadership
  • Lifestyle
  • Rankings
  • Multimedia
TechInternet of Things

Five Emerging Trends of CES 2016

By
Chris Morris
Chris Morris
Former Contributing Writer
Down Arrow Button Icon
By
Chris Morris
Chris Morris
Former Contributing Writer
Down Arrow Button Icon
January 5, 2016, 11:45 AM ET
A drone is flown for recreational purposes in the sky above Old Bethpage, New York on September 5, 2015.
A drone is flown for recreational purposes in the sky above Old Bethpage, New York on September 5, 2015.Photograph by Bruce Bennett — Getty Images

CES 2016 may not officially begin until Wednesday, but early press conferences and preview events have firmly established the tone of the show.

Fortune attended a series of pre-show events Monday, where companies were displaying and discussing their new products, and a few categories quickly began to emerge:

Smart homes – At CES Unveiled, a sneak peek event that gives a good sense of the direction of each year’s show, there were a plethora of devices to make your home more intelligent, ranging from a showerhead that alerts you when you’re using too much water to a connected ceiling fan. And expect Samsung, Sony (SNE) and Panasonic to incorporate the Internet of Things into their press events Tuesday, including explanations of how it ties in with your home.

MORE: Ford Wants Your Car to Control Your Home

Smart cars – Nvdia (NVDA) kicked off the 2016 smart car frenzy Monday night, announcing a “super computer” for vehicles called the Drive PX2. CEO Jen-Hsun Huang says the system can process inputs from 12 video cameras, radar, and other sensors, bringing the driverless car much closer to reality. BMW (BMW) will unveil a gesture-based interface, allowing drivers to control some car features with a wave of their hand later this week. Ford has been making noise about self-driving cars and the car-sharing sector. And Kia and Mercedes are both expected to discuss (and perhaps show off) their self-driving vehicles, as well as discuss advances in connected car technology.

WATCH: For more on self-driving cars, watch this Fortune Video.

Drones – One of the hottest gifts of the just-completed holiday season, drones have been a big favorite at CES for the past few years—and they’re not showing any signs of slowing down. Parrot introduced a new model at Unveiled that can take off, steer, and land on its own, simplifying the user experience for newcomers to the hobby. DJI, meanwhile, opted to focus on power users, with a less expensive drone that shoots 4K video. There are also mounts that let you attach your camera of choice to your drone. Many more models and modifications are likely to be showcased this week.

Wearables – Fitness trackers and health monitors are going to be all over the place at CES this year, but we’re seeing advancements in the category that could make them a bit more ubiquitous and useful. Misfit has introduced the Ray, a new tracker that is just 12mm in diameter, making it easier to wear or incorporate into jewelry. Fitbit (FIT) is unveiling its next generation of products at the show. And health wearables are exploding, with everything from a patch that regularly takes a patient’s temperature to a wrist-worn blood pressure monitoring device.

SIGN UP: Get Data Sheet, Fortune’s daily newsletter about the business of technology.

UHD TV – Expect this to be the big buzzword Tuesday. What started as 4K and morphed into “Ultra High Definition” is now Super UHD. To help clarify the market, the UHD Alliance has narrowed the definition of the term, setting metrics for things like resolution, high dynamic range (HDR), peak luminance, black levels, and wide color gamut. That, ideally, will make things more transparent for shoppers. Expect all of the major television manufacturers to tout that their new line meets (and likely exceeds) those standards in Tuesday’s press conference barrage.

About the Author
By Chris MorrisFormer Contributing Writer

Chris Morris is a former contributing writer at Fortune, covering everything from general business news to the video game and theme park industries.

See full bioRight Arrow Button Icon

Latest in Tech

Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025

Most Popular

Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Fortune Secondary Logo
Rankings
  • 100 Best Companies
  • Fortune 500
  • Global 500
  • Fortune 500 Europe
  • Most Powerful Women
  • Future 50
  • World’s Most Admired Companies
  • See All Rankings
Sections
  • Finance
  • Fortune Crypto
  • Features
  • Leadership
  • Health
  • Commentary
  • Success
  • Retail
  • Mpw
  • Tech
  • Lifestyle
  • CEO Initiative
  • Asia
  • Politics
  • Conferences
  • Europe
  • Newsletters
  • Personal Finance
  • Environment
  • Magazine
  • Education
Customer Support
  • Frequently Asked Questions
  • Customer Service Portal
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms Of Use
  • Single Issues For Purchase
  • International Print
Commercial Services
  • Advertising
  • Fortune Brand Studio
  • Fortune Analytics
  • Fortune Conferences
  • Business Development
  • Group Subscriptions
About Us
  • About Us
  • Editorial Calendar
  • Press Center
  • Work At Fortune
  • Diversity And Inclusion
  • Terms And Conditions
  • Site Map
  • About Us
  • Editorial Calendar
  • Press Center
  • Work At Fortune
  • Diversity And Inclusion
  • Terms And Conditions
  • Site Map
  • Facebook icon
  • Twitter icon
  • LinkedIn icon
  • Instagram icon
  • Pinterest icon

Latest in Tech

Who’s really in control as AI and Big Tech race ahead?
MagazineEurope
Who’s really in control as AI and Big Tech race ahead?
By Francesca CassidyApril 10, 2026
3 minutes ago
Photo: Donald Trump
EconomyMarkets
U.S. and Iran begin peace talks as Trump’s White House goes to war against the media, insider traders, and the Pope
By Jim EdwardsApril 10, 2026
49 minutes ago
Fortune Brainstorm Tech 2019 in Aspen, Colo. (Photo: Fortune)
NewslettersFortune Tech
Who’s speaking at Fortune Brainstorm Tech 2026
By Andrew NuscaApril 10, 2026
2 hours ago
Schools across America are quietly admitting that screens in classrooms made students worse off and are reversing years of tech-first policies
InnovationEducation
Schools across America are quietly admitting that screens in classrooms made students worse off and are reversing years of tech-first policies
By Marco Quiroz-GutierrezApril 10, 2026
3 hours ago
Dario Amodei
NewslettersTerm Sheet
What Anthropic’s too-dangerous-to-release AI model means for its upcoming IPO
By Beatrice NolanApril 10, 2026
3 hours ago
Even Nvidia’s own research teams can’t get enough GPUs amid the race for AI computing power
NewslettersEye on AI
Even Nvidia’s own research teams can’t get enough GPUs amid the race for AI computing power
By Sharon GoldmanApril 9, 2026
18 hours ago

Most Popular

The U.S. government is spending $88 billion a month in interest on national debt—equal to spending on defense and education combined
Economy
The U.S. government is spending $88 billion a month in interest on national debt—equal to spending on defense and education combined
By Fortune EditorsApril 9, 2026
23 hours ago
A Meta employee created a dashboard so coworkers can compete to be the company's No. 1 AI token user—and Zuckerberg doesn't even rank in the top 250
AI
A Meta employee created a dashboard so coworkers can compete to be the company's No. 1 AI token user—and Zuckerberg doesn't even rank in the top 250
By Fortune EditorsApril 9, 2026
1 day ago
Gen Z doesn't want your full-time job. They want several part-time roles, and it's reshaping the entire workforce
Success
Gen Z doesn't want your full-time job. They want several part-time roles, and it's reshaping the entire workforce
By Fortune EditorsApril 9, 2026
1 day ago
White-collar workers are quietly rebelling against AI as 80% outright refuse adoption mandates
AI
White-collar workers are quietly rebelling against AI as 80% outright refuse adoption mandates
By Fortune EditorsApril 9, 2026
1 day ago
Gen Z workers are so fearful AI will take their job they’re intentionally sabotaging their company’s AI rollout
AI
Gen Z workers are so fearful AI will take their job they’re intentionally sabotaging their company’s AI rollout
By Fortune EditorsApril 8, 2026
2 days ago
Current price of oil as of April 9, 2026
Personal Finance
Current price of oil as of April 9, 2026
By Fortune EditorsApril 9, 2026
22 hours ago

© 2026 Fortune Media IP Limited. All Rights Reserved. Use of this site constitutes acceptance of our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy | CA Notice at Collection and Privacy Notice | Do Not Sell/Share My Personal Information
FORTUNE is a trademark of Fortune Media IP Limited, registered in the U.S. and other countries. FORTUNE may receive compensation for some links to products and services on this website. Offers may be subject to change without notice.