Really does CES even issue any longer?

Does CES even matter anymore?

If you've never been to CES, it's a little like wading through a tsunami of shiny plastic and thousands of people.

The annual tide of techno-froth rises and falls, and what's hot this year is not next year. Sometimes the experience can come across rather like the proverbial sound and fury, signifying nothing.

Especially considering that tech giants are staying away en masse. Of Apple, Google, Microsoft, Amazon, and Samsung, only Samsung has an official presence at the show. Apple hasn't participated since 1992, though hundreds of companies at CES show off Apple accessories, and Microsoft recently dropped out.

It's true that the spectacle is a truly awesome salad of 3,000 exhibitors and more than 150,000 attendees where important relationships are kindled and deals are struck. And CES has helped launch the careers of consumer favorites like the VCR, CDs, camcorders, and HDTV. These days, though, hit products more often have their debut outside of the auspices of CES -- at Apple unveilings, other events, and above all through social media.

Meanwhile, the world has moved from hardware to software, from PCs to the cloud. What we want is content, not machines, and while we still need mobile devices, it's hard to justify the massive costs and hype needed to sustain an old-school trade show like CES.

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