Technology News, Earnings, Mergers And Acquisitions: IBM Returns to CES for the First Time in a Decade

Wednesday, January 03, 2007

IBM Returns to CES for the First Time in a Decade

After ten years away, IBM returns to the 40th Annual International Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas, with the integral technologies behind many popular gaming, medical, and cellular consumer electronic devices of today and the future on display.

The last time IBM was at CES, IBM showcased products such as IBM PCs, 56K modem Internet kits and its own line of flatbed scanners. Since then, IBM has moved away from developing its own consumer products to providing the innovative technology building blocks -- such as the Power Architecture™, the Cell Broadband Engine™ and Code Name Secure Blue -- that consumer electronics makers are using to invent, design and manufacture imaginative new products and get them to market faster.
"It's been a decade since we last had a huge presence at CES. Since that time, we've made dramatic changes in how IBM reaches the consumer market," said Hal Lasky, Vice President, Consumer Industry, IBM. "Today, we are collaborating with clients in highly targeted industry segments like consumer electronics, medical, aerospace and defense, and next generation networks, to give clients access to the intellectual property, engineering expertise and industry know-how that will enable them to bring better products and solutions to market more quickly."
IBM's skills, technology and innovation are behind many of the consumer electronics products on the market today and those that will be in the future. The pace of innovation at IBM has accelerated in recent years thanks to the opening of its laboratory network in an effort to collaborate with clients, blending emerging technologies with real-world requirements that stand to benefit future IBM clients, business partners, collaborators and end-user consumers.
"Consumer electronics makers today are under incredible pressure to innovate at a faster pace while protecting margins against commoditization," said Lasky. "IBM sees a tremendous opportunity in helping those companies tie together many key elements -- even beyond technology alone -- to create a real competitive advantage and transformation in the marketplace."
At the IBM Pavilion # 36631 Las Vegas Convention Center - South 4, the company will showcase a variety of client products and technologies throughout four zones including:

Experience the Science of Gaming: IBM engineers, designs and manufactures the customized chips and processors for all of the next generation gaming consoles. IBM's booth will have the Microsoft Xbox 360™, Nintendo Wii™, and Sony PLAYSTATION®3 on display for trialand fun. IBM executives, who were responsible for collaborating with all three companies, respectively, on developing the brains of these gaming platforms, will be present to provide insight and analysis into the science behind gaming today.

Explore the Virtual World: This exhibit offers a hands-on opportunity to experience the possibilities for business growth and efficiency in virtual worlds, including viewing IBM's own presence there. 3D Internet,'Second Life' and Virtual Worlds are growing technology platforms that more clients are investigating, bringing virtual reality to life. Attendees can interact in a virtual intra-world and view the progress of multiple virtual 'Second Life' worlds.

Encounter Designs of the Future: More than a dozen different client examples of cellular handsets, medical devices, speech recognition and speech translation solutions built on IBM innovation, technology and engineering will be showcased. The more unusual products to be demonstrated at the booth include the Xing karaoke devices and a cell phone clipping service.

Hear From IBM - Innovation, Expertise, and Everything In Between: The IBM Theater will provide regularly scheduled presentations about how IBM innovation leads the way in consumer electronics -- from 'smart homes' to smart consumers. Speakers will talk about how IBM collaborates with its clients to enable them to gain market leadership.

Throughout CES, IBM will also be taking part in keynote and panel discussions on a wide variety of topics including:

A keynote address by George Bailey, IBM General Manager for the Electronics Industry, about "Demand-Driven Supply Chain for Growth and Profitability"

A panel moderated by Steve Canepa, Vice President, IBM Global Media & Entertainment Industry, about "The Massively Multiplayer Gaming Explosion -- from the PC, the Console and Mobile"