CES 2021 will be an all-digital affair, the organisers of the world's biggest consumer technology show have today confirmed.
The announcement of the online-only event is a u-turn (an understandable one) on their statement in June that stated the show would go ahead as normal in January, in-person in Las Vegas.
"With the growing global health concerns about the spread of COVID-19, it is not possible to safely convene tens of thousands of people in Las Vegas in early January 2021 to meet and do business in person... CES 2021 will continue to be a platform to launch products, engage with global brands and define the future of the tech industry," the latest announcement by the Consumer Technology Association (CTA) reads.
The all-digital CES 2021, which will take place from 6th to the 9th January (no changes needed for your diaries there), will see the CTA "reimagining" how to connect exhibitors, customers and media from around the world "while prioritizing health and safety".
Further details of the nature of the online-only event will no doubt follow in due course, but in the meantime our fingers remain crossed that manufacturers will go ahead with their usual barrage of product announcements – although naturally the excitement for accustomed attendees will be somewhat diluted by the absence of seeing such innovation in the flesh.
Meanwhile, IFA 2020 - Europe's biggest consumer electronics show - is going ahead in Berlin as an in-person event in September, so we will soon see how a socially distanced technology event on such a scale pans out.
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