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The vitality of this exposition is a sign of the times. The interest and innovation in PCs is nothing next to the action in other realms of high tech. As proof, compare the show with what was once its big brother: Comdex, the personal-computer trade show held each November at the same site. Thanks to the severe decline in the PC industry, the 2002 Las Vegas Comdex was only half the size of its 2000 incarnation.
The 2,200 booths included lavish displays by Panasonic, Sony, Philips, Toshiba and other heavy hitters. But hundreds of smaller, quirkier companies were also present, exhibiting electric toothbrushes, illuminated cell-phone faceplates, laser pens and publications from Widescreen Review to Progressive Grocer. There were 46 exhibitors in the alarm-clock category alone, and even an electric-typewriter company.
To reach those smaller booths, though, you had to pass what seemed like half the $10,000 plasma(等离子)TV screens ever made. This proliferation(丰富) of gorgeous wide-screen sets was only one hint that TV makers, at least, are ready for the great American switch to high-definition television, which the Federal Communications Commission hopes to see completed by 2006.
But a few obstacles stand between the average American and high-def happiness: the prices of these sets, the reluctance of cable companies to broadcast high-definition shows, Hollywood’s campaign to cripple high-definition broadcasts so that you can’t record them, and so on. (As many seminar panelists observed, however, strides are being made in all those areas.)
The most interesting items at Microsoft's booth were the prototype wristwatches that use the company’s new Smart Personal Object Technology (SPOT) software. Due by year’s end from Citizen, Fossil and other companies, these watches can receive messages, news, weather, sports and stock reports wirelessly in metropolitan areas for a small monthly fee, of course.
The most alarming item at Microsoft's booth, on the other hand, was its six-room mock-up of an American house with Microsoft products—cars, phones, TVs, games, appliances—in every nook and cranny. It’s only a matter of time before you'll see people rebooting their toasters.
The digital camera models on display were cheaper, better and smaller than their predecessors. Olympus’s Stylus 400, for example, is a tiny, silver, pocketable wonder that takes four-megapixel photos (enough resolution for 13-by-19-inch prints). It’s due in the spring for $400.
41. Why are 115,000 people buzzing with confidence and excitement?
[A] They are truly strange people to feel overexcited at seeing new things.
[B] They are going to be pleased by the passers-by.
[C] They are visiting the International Expo of New Products.
[D] They are feeling optimistic at seeing the displays on CES.
42. The 2002 Las Vegas Comdex was held only half the size of its 2000 incarnation because ___________.
[A] the industry lacks exciting innovations.
[B] the industry slowed down its development. |
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