New | Robots, drones and virtual reality steal the limelight at CES Asia 2016
Major smartphone vendors were absent from the annual consumer technology event in Shanghai
The second edition of electronics trade show Consumer Electronics Show (CES) Asia 2016, which ended Friday, may have doubled in exhibitor size compared to last year, but major smartphone vendors were noticeably absent from the show as robots, drones and virtual reality stole the limelight.
Chinese smartphone manufacturers such as Xiaomi and Lenovo were not present as exhibitors, while major smartphone vendors Samsung and LG did not display smartphones at the trade show despite being listed as exhibitors on the CES Asia website.
The absence of smartphone vendors at the event points towards the country’s slowing smartphone market. Market research company IDC expects smartphone growth in China to slow to 2 per cent in 2016, with the market being driven by upgraders rather than new users.
In contrast, fast-growing markets such as robotics, virtual reality and even drones were the main focus at this year’s CES Asia show, as investors and consumers alike take an interest in new and emerging technology.
Bubble Lab, a Chinese robotics start-up, showed off a robotic arm that is able to brew, serve cups of coffee and even wash up.
Ken Liu, product manager for Bubble Lab, said that the company created the robotic arm to free up time for baristas to create different coffee drinks instead of wasting time doing the same task over and over again.
