It’s easy to get carried away in the smoke and mirrors that is CES 2012. As always with these tech shows, a lot of products won’t make it to the shelves, are altered before going to the shelves or come to the shelves but flop miserably. Aside from the potential hazards, there’s always that sneaky suspicion that we’re on the verge of a breakthrough technology that will make all other products feel obsolete. Here’re my top 5 reasons to not buy a television this calendar year.
5. Crisis
You’d have to live under a rock to not realize we’re living in wonky times right now. Greece has borrowed money from the whole of Europe and is still filing for bankruptcy, with many countries possible following suite. Prices are going up everywhere while income stays the same or decreases; so basic math suggests you’re buying less for more.
The uncertainty of today’s day and age is my number 5 reason to avoid buying a new television set this year. Why is it only number 5? Because you can always sell your LED tv for 40% of its new value when the axe does go south.
4. Prices
Anyone in tech knows that televisions are expensive in the summer, discounted in the winter and replaced by a better (often cheaper) model in spring. This is an never ending cycle however you may want to save yourself some money waiting for prices to drop on these brand new CES models.
3. Apple
The Cupertino-based company is looking to enter the television market after three failed Apple TV boxes that couldn’t do much other than displaying those rented iTunes movies in inferior quality (720p). Now they’re entering the market with a television that is easier to use and probably better looking as well. If iPod, iPhone, iPad, iMac is a tool of measurement, you may want to wait for the keynote.
2. 3D
Passive 3D, active 3D, shutter glasses, cross-talk, contrast, are you still with me? It’s clear to me that we’re moving to 3D for real now however the technology is still very much work in progress, or WIP. Companies are undecided on interpretation as of today and a lot of consumers are dashing the use of glasses. Rapid improvements and the potential of a glasses free 3D is my number 2 reason to keep the cash at hand this year.
1. Upcoming technology
If I were a girl in pink but secretly a geek I’d say in high school ignorance that 3D is so last year. We should be focusing on OLED and WQHD resolutions instead. OLED is a technology that gets rid of the backlight and instead lets each individual pixel light up, potentially offering even thinner televisions with perfect black levels. WQHD (wide quad high definition or 4320p) indicates a resolution that is 16 times the resolution of a high definition television. That means sharper images and more potential screen real estate for computer users.
Why should you care however? I think you should care because LG and Samsung are poised to introduce a 55” OLED television at CES this year (!) for inhumane prices, which means that mainstream OLED and higher resolution displays are possibly just a year (or two) away. Remember me mentioning the sneaky suspicion that televisions may turn completely obsolete soon? Well these pieces of tech are exactly why I’m claiming just that, and my number 1 reason why you should not part with your cash in 2012 – on a television.
So when the consumer electronics show (CES 2012) hits don’t go all excited and jump at the opportunity to part with your cash. Wait, breath and consider. There may well be a television for you at the show but consider these five points.
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