How Will CES Impact Domaining in 2011?

The Consumer Electronics Show, better known as CES takes place every January in Las Vegas. This will be my sixth year at the show and I’m excited to see what will be announced this year. It wasn’t until about two years ago that I started thinking about the impact that CES has on domain names.

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Remember, along from being a Domaining geek I’m also a big tech geek and proud early adopter of just about any technology I can get my hands on. So for me CES has always been about the toys…however the last two years I’ve seen some interesting trends make their way to the Domaining world.

Starting two years ago it was clear that companies were going the way of the tablet. Tablet-related domains have seen some nice sales however it was really Apple that made this happen with the iPad. Still if you’ve been to CES over the years you knew that Tablets were hot about a year before Apple announced the iPad.

Last year CES was centered on one thing – 3D television. Domainers went nuts buying 3D-related domains in 2010 and I don’t expect the trend to slow-down anytime soon. If you were at CES last year and saw the excitement around 3D TV’s this could have encouraged you to invest in the 3D domain market. For me, I took my experience a step further last year. I saw companies announcing 3D TV’s but consumers across the board having a very underwhelming experience. I watched a few hundred people try on 3D glasses last year and I didn’t see the excitement or thrill that I would want to see on their faces to make me feel like this was the year for 3D.

Of course there’s no right or wrong here, just different interpretations of data. However this is exactly what CES provides – data that you really can’t get anywhere else. This show has a pulse and with over 100,000 attendees it is the largest tradeshow in North America.

So this year I’ll be looking-out for what the hottest trends will be this year and paying careful attention to consumer and media response. Nothing wrong with catching a trend early…but you want to make sure you pick the right trend!

If any of you are following the show and want me to pop-over and check-out a particular booth for you just comment below and I’d be happy to shoot a picture and find-out some information for you. If you are here in Vegas for the show then we need to grab a beer 🙂

Stay-tuned, much more to come!

Morgan Linton

Morgan Linton