The best commercials in the 57-year history of CES

Boys and girls, sit around me. Just like the grandpa meme Simpson, we’re going to cover the history of CES, especially the most amazing ads and products from the famous Las Vegas tech show. And over a 57-year history, consumer electronics shows have become the showcase that first showcased devices that eventually found their way into the homes of millions of consumers. Let’s see if there is any CES 2024 announcements They overcome the difficult test of history.

Philips N1500 cassette recorder.

Nearly half a century before the Netflix revolution, watching a series again meant glueing yourself to the TV and crossing your fingers for luck. This changed when Philips introduced the N1500 video cassette recorder at the 1970 CES. It cost $900 (it would cost over $5,000 today), and that price made the device, which was only seen on television stations, moderately affordable.

CD player Sony CDP-101.

It was CES 1981, and Sony was doing one of its first things: introducing the first CD player. “This is the format of tomorrow, offering an hour of music with concert hall precision,” says a press release written on a typewriter. A whole revolution.

Nintendo Entertainment System (NES)

The video game industry was in crisis and no one was interested in an industry that had grown in value from $3.2 billion to just $100 million. Nintendo then came to the United States to introduce the Nintendo Entertainment System at the 1985 CES. The rest is history.

Apple Newton

There was a time when Apple went to technology fairs. He did this at the 1993 CES to promote the Apple Newton, a product that failed but became the key to a market that Apple would eventually capitalize on and revolutionize: the laptop market.

Blu-ray

Sony, Panasonic, Pioneer, Philips and Samsung joined forces at CES 2004 to promote the Blu-Ray format, which promised to be the best way to consume high-definition content. And, in truth, that’s how it was. Blu-ray eventually supplanted its competitor HD DVD, only to give way to the streaming revolution years later. Today it is a haven for videophiles.

Nokia Windows Phone

Nokia was a titan of the mobile phone industry, and Microsoft, well, it’s Microsoft, so… What could go wrong in a partnership between both companies? Nobody could have predicted this, which is why Nokia’s Windows Phone announcement caused quite a stir at CES 2012.

Netflix’s Huge Expansion

Yes, Netflix was already a revolution, but at CES 2016 it made an announcement that positioned it as the undisputed leader of the streaming revolution: aggressive expansion to 130 countries. Netflix has been around for 60 years and made a splash in the US, but its expansion has turned it into a truly global phenomenon.