CES Organizer Claims Chip Shortage, Not Covid is Keeping Exhibitors at Home

[TheLostSwede]

January 5th is when CES 2022 is set to kick off and we've already seen reports of several big brands cancelling their attendance, but according to the Consumer Technology Association (CTA) who are the organisers behind CES, it's not because of Covid, but rather due to the chip shortage. The fact that most countries have imposed travel restrictions and even gone into fairly strict lockdowns seems to have eluded the CTA as its CEO claims exhibitors aren't overly concerned about the virus.

Instead, the reasoning by the CTA CEO goes along the lines of the chip shortage causing issues with prototypes and product samples, so the companies that were planning to attend CES won't have any products to showcase. This seems like some very strange logic, since from what we've seen so far, prototypes and product samples don't seem to be a major concern. That said, the CTA is correct that logistics are going to be a nightmare this year, as shipping delays are not uncommon and are likely to cause bigger problems for the exhibitors this year than anything else. TPU is still expecting to be on location in Las Vegas for next year's show, unless something changes drastically in the next week and half.

View at TechPowerUp Main Site

 

[Vayra86]

A typical case of ignorance is bliss attitude.

Part of it, anyway. Detachment from reality is what I see here - or just categoric denial.

 

[Daven]

I would highly recommend that no one attend this show unless you have triple vaccine shots and you are double masked. And even then its not a good idea.

Oh and the J&J shot doesn’t count as it provides ‘zero’ protection against Omicron.

 

[TheLostSwede]

A typical case of ignorance is bliss attitude.

Part of it, anyway. Detachment from reality is what I see here - or just categoric denial.

Well, the shipping issues are a real reason why some companies aren't attending, but yeah, the whole chip shortage excuse is just lame.
I guess the CTA doesn't want to scare away people, so they come up with a reason why so many companies won't be there...

 

[Vayra86]

I would highly recommend that no one attend this show unless you have triple vaccine shots and you are double masked. And even then its not a good idea.

Oh and the J&J shot doesn’t count as it provides ‘zero’ protection against Omicron.

All vaccines still protect against serious complications / hospitalization.

Somehow that gets lost in translation, I'm not sure why, as if misery loves company or something.

 

[Aquinus]

All vaccines still protect against serious complications / hospitalization.

Somehow that gets lost in translation, I'm not sure why, as if misery loves company or something.

I think the point is mainly that many vaccines don't provide protection from becoming infected with omicron, but has some level of efficacy when it comes to preventing severe illness. With that said though, contracting it means you can spread it, which is not ideal. Just wear a mask, get vaccinated, and don't be dumb.

 

[CrAsHnBuRnXp]

I think the point is mainly that many vaccines don't provide protection from becoming infected with omicron, but has some level of efficacy when it comes to preventing severe illness. With that said though, contracting it means you can spread it, which is not ideal. Just wear a mask, get vaccinated, and don't be dumb.

Too bad there are too many morons in the world that still refuse to get vaccinated and people that still think it's a hoax. Im not sure about other countries, but here in America (land of the free, home of the dumbasses) you cant get people to do what they need to do to help stop the spread of the virus. Too many people still think the vaccine is a trick to get you microchipped so the gov't can spy on you. Even though our cell phones, Google Home's, Alexa's, ISP, etc all track us.

Everything in this country is political and if it makes the politicians money, they would rather make money than help out the constituents.

 

[TheinsanegamerN]

Too bad there are too many morons in the world that still refuse to get vaccinated and people that still think it's a hoax. Im not sure about other countries, but here in America (land of the free, home of the dumbasses) you cant get people to do what they need to do to help stop the spread of the virus. Too many people still think the vaccine is a trick to get you microchipped so the gov't can spy on you. Even though our cell phones, Google Home's, Alexa's, ISP, etc all track us.

Everything in this country is political and if it makes the politicians money, they would rather make money than help out the constituents.

Well, and this is just a theory, if you stopped using coronavirus as a political cudgel, stopped moving the goalposts on every topic related to it (2 weeks to flatten the curve, we mean 6 months to flatten the curve, we mean 2 years to flatten the curve, if you had just stayed home for 2 weeks we'd stop the virus, ece), stopped trying to make every new variant the next end of the world scenario (delta, delta plus, mu, now omicron, ece) and stopped treating anyone who has questions over the vaccine's safety or is oppositional to mandates as literal terrorists and retards, you MIGHT have a better time of it.

Perhaps, when people point out things like locked down blue states leading the charge on new deaths as opposed to those backwards hicks in red states, or countries like germany and israel leading the charge in new cases despite 90%+ vax rates, or that omicron deaths are nowhere NEAR previous variants, you shouldnt just throw them out as wrongthink. Maybe then people might be willing to listen to you and your suggestions, if you meet them halfway.

But hey, better to treat anyone who doesnt think like you as nazis and treat any defiance to the orders of the glorious government as stupidity rather then asking if the last 4 years of screeching by the media, government, and anyone with any sort of social influence may have created a massive trust issue.

A typical case of ignorance is bliss attitude.

Part of it, anyway. Detachment from reality is what I see here - or just categoric denial.

Well, Omicron doesnt kill nearly as often as any previous variants. The African doctor that discovered it has stated repeatedly that omicron is less dangerous then previous strains. The CDC, at the end of their omicron report, says the same, albeit far away from the headline producing "maybe"s and "might"s that the media can pick up on. The vast majority that contract it have no worse symptoms then a common cold, and the immunity such an infection provides is superior to any vaccine. The UK is up to...what, 2 deaths, one of which was "with" covid, not "of" covid. The vast majority of deaths are either OG strain, MU, or delta plus, despite omicron now making up a majority of new cases.

The only denial I see is alarmists who want to continue shutting everything down forever over a cough, regardless of any facts concerning the lethality of said cough.

 

[Rithsom]

Well, and this is just a theory, if you stopped using coronavirus as a political cudgel, stopped moving the goalposts on every topic related to it (2 weeks to flatten the curve, we mean 6 months to flatten the curve, we mean 2 years to flatten the curve, if you had just stayed home for 2 weeks we'd stop the virus, ece), stopped trying to make every new variant the next end of the world scenario (delta, delta plus, mu, now omicron, ece) and stopped treating anyone who has questions over the vaccine's safety or is oppositional to mandates as literal terrorists and retards, you MIGHT have a better time of it.

Perhaps, when people point out things like locked down blue states leading the charge on new deaths as opposed to those backwards hicks in red states, or countries like germany and israel leading the charge in new cases despite 90%+ vax rates, or that omicron deaths are nowhere NEAR previous variants, you shouldnt just throw them out as wrongthink. Maybe then people might be willing to listen to you and your suggestions, if you meet them halfway.

But hey, better to treat anyone who doesnt think like you as nazis and treat any defiance to the orders of the glorious government as stupidity rather then asking if the last 4 years of screeching by the media, government, and anyone with any sort of social influence may have created a massive trust issue.

Well said!

It's a shame that you and I will still be called idiots, regardless...

 

[claes]

The only denial I see is alarmists who want to continue shutting everything down forever over a cough, regardless of any facts concerning the lethality of said cough.

Off-topic: that’s kind of the problem though, isn’t it? More spread = new variants = more chances for evolution. Sure, omicron might not be as fatal as delta, but the more it spreads the more it evolves, and who knows what the next variant looks like.

On-topic: chicken and egg scenario

meta:

 

[Vayra86]

Well, and this is just a theory, if you stopped using coronavirus as a political cudgel, stopped moving the goalposts on every topic related to it (2 weeks to flatten the curve, we mean 6 months to flatten the curve, we mean 2 years to flatten the curve, if you had just stayed home for 2 weeks we'd stop the virus, ece), stopped trying to make every new variant the next end of the world scenario (delta, delta plus, mu, now omicron, ece) and stopped treating anyone who has questions over the vaccine's safety or is oppositional to mandates as literal terrorists and retards, you MIGHT have a better time of it.

Perhaps, when people point out things like locked down blue states leading the charge on new deaths as opposed to those backwards hicks in red states, or countries like germany and israel leading the charge in new cases despite 90%+ vax rates, or that omicron deaths are nowhere NEAR previous variants, you shouldnt just throw them out as wrongthink. Maybe then people might be willing to listen to you and your suggestions, if you meet them halfway.

But hey, better to treat anyone who doesnt think like you as nazis and treat any defiance to the orders of the glorious government as stupidity rather then asking if the last 4 years of screeching by the media, government, and anyone with any sort of social influence may have created a massive trust issue.


Well, Omicron doesnt kill nearly as often as any previous variants. The African doctor that discovered it has stated repeatedly that omicron is less dangerous then previous strains. The CDC, at the end of their omicron report, says the same, albeit far away from the headline producing "maybe"s and "might"s that the media can pick up on. The vast majority that contract it have no worse symptoms then a common cold, and the immunity such an infection provides is superior to any vaccine. The UK is up to...what, 2 deaths, one of which was "with" covid, not "of" covid. The vast majority of deaths are either OG strain, MU, or delta plus, despite omicron now making up a majority of new cases.

The only denial I see is alarmists who want to continue shutting everything down forever over a cough, regardless of any facts concerning the lethality of said cough.

Oh hang on there.

I completely agree that our current way of dealing with the pandemic isnt realistic. Its a problematic thing, acceptance of its existence and 'living with it'. But evolutionary, its inevitable we will have to. That said, we are too impatient. Cant expect the first wave of vaccination to be perfect yet. Its still the best tool we've got. The longer term projection is still acceptance of a certain death toll. But we also like control and security, those are at odds with one another.

 

[CrAsHnBuRnXp]

Well, and this is just a theory, if you stopped using coronavirus as a political cudgel, stopped moving the goalposts on every topic related to it (2 weeks to flatten the curve, we mean 6 months to flatten the curve, we mean 2 years to flatten the curve, if you had just stayed home for 2 weeks we'd stop the virus, ece), stopped trying to make every new variant the next end of the world scenario (delta, delta plus, mu, now omicron, ece) and stopped treating anyone who has questions over the vaccine's safety or is oppositional to mandates as literal terrorists and retards, you MIGHT have a better time of it.

Perhaps, when people point out things like locked down blue states leading the charge on new deaths as opposed to those backwards hicks in red states, or countries like germany and israel leading the charge in new cases despite 90%+ vax rates, or that omicron deaths are nowhere NEAR previous variants, you shouldnt just throw them out as wrongthink. Maybe then people might be willing to listen to you and your suggestions, if you meet them halfway.

But hey, better to treat anyone who doesnt think like you as nazis and treat any defiance to the orders of the glorious government as stupidity rather then asking if the last 4 years of screeching by the media, government, and anyone with any sort of social influence may have created a massive trust issue.


Well, Omicron doesnt kill nearly as often as any previous variants. The African doctor that discovered it has stated repeatedly that omicron is less dangerous then previous strains. The CDC, at the end of their omicron report, says the same, albeit far away from the headline producing "maybe"s and "might"s that the media can pick up on. The vast majority that contract it have no worse symptoms then a common cold, and the immunity such an infection provides is superior to any vaccine. The UK is up to...what, 2 deaths, one of which was "with" covid, not "of" covid. The vast majority of deaths are either OG strain, MU, or delta plus, despite omicron now making up a majority of new cases.

The only denial I see is alarmists who want to continue shutting everything down forever over a cough, regardless of any facts concerning the lethality of said cough.

See thats the problem with the US. It allows it's media to have free reign as it sees fit with 0 repercussions because they ALL have an agenda.

 

[R-T-B]

Well, and this is just a theory, if you stopped using coronavirus as a political cudgel, stopped moving the goalposts on every topic related to it (2 weeks to flatten the curve, we mean 6 months to flatten the curve, we mean 2 years to flatten the curve, if you had just stayed home for 2 weeks we'd stop the virus, ece), stopped trying to make every new variant the next end of the world scenario (delta, delta plus, mu, now omicron, ece) and stopped treating anyone who has questions over the vaccine's safety or is oppositional to mandates as literal terrorists and retards, you MIGHT have a better time of it.

That is a result of exhaustion, as that group has proven time and again that is decidedly not the case. Frankly, I don't feel anything but frustration and anger at that group for repeatedly prolonging this pandemic at the cost of hundreds of thousands of lives at this point. The time for acting reasonable sailed when you refused to do it in the first place.

Well said!

It's a shame that you and I will still be called idiots, regardless...

It's a shame you've earned at this point if you are still trying to minimize the hundreds of thousands of dead, and the potential for more, by refusing to help us end this with a reasonable request (getting vaccinated).

I've lost family members. I have far more right to be angry than most here.

 

[Why_Me]

Well, and this is just a theory, if you stopped using coronavirus as a political cudgel, stopped moving the goalposts on every topic related to it (2 weeks to flatten the curve, we mean 6 months to flatten the curve, we mean 2 years to flatten the curve, if you had just stayed home for 2 weeks we'd stop the virus, ece), stopped trying to make every new variant the next end of the world scenario (delta, delta plus, mu, now omicron, ece) and stopped treating anyone who has questions over the vaccine's safety or is oppositional to mandates as literal terrorists and retards, you MIGHT have a better time of it.

Perhaps, when people point out things like locked down blue states leading the charge on new deaths as opposed to those backwards hicks in red states, or countries like germany and israel leading the charge in new cases despite 90%+ vax rates, or that omicron deaths are nowhere NEAR previous variants, you shouldnt just throw them out as wrongthink. Maybe then people might be willing to listen to you and your suggestions, if you meet them halfway.

But hey, better to treat anyone who doesnt think like you as nazis and treat any defiance to the orders of the glorious government as stupidity rather then asking if the last 4 years of screeching by the media, government, and anyone with any sort of social influence may have created a massive trust issue.


Well, Omicron doesnt kill nearly as often as any previous variants. The African doctor that discovered it has stated repeatedly that omicron is less dangerous then previous strains. The CDC, at the end of their omicron report, says the same, albeit far away from the headline producing "maybe"s and "might"s that the media can pick up on. The vast majority that contract it have no worse symptoms then a common cold, and the immunity such an infection provides is superior to any vaccine. The UK is up to...what, 2 deaths, one of which was "with" covid, not "of" covid. The vast majority of deaths are either OG strain, MU, or delta plus, despite omicron now making up a majority of new cases.

The only denial I see is alarmists who want to continue shutting everything down forever over a cough, regardless of any facts concerning the lethality of said cough.

Well said ^^

 

[Rithsom]

It's a shame you've earned at this point if you are still trying to minimize the hundreds of thousands of dead, and the potential for more, by refusing to help us end this with a reasonable request (getting vaccinated).

I've lost family members. I have far more right to be angry than most here.

Where did I say that I refuse to get vaccinated? I am vaccinated. I wear a mask. I believe that the pandemic is real and am doing all that I can to help things move along as nicely as possible. All I meant was that government and the media shouldn't rub it in our faces all the time...

Anyway, this thread is doomed. It should just be locked at this point...

 

[Why_Me]

Where did I say that I refuse to get vaccinated? I am vaccinated. I wear a mask. I believe that the pandemic is real and am doing all that I can to help things move along as nicely as possible. All I meant was that government and the media shouldn't rub it in our faces all the time...

Anyway, this thread is doomed. It should just be locked at this point...

<--- not vaccinated, don't wear a mask unless flying not to mention there are zero mask laws where I live.

 

[R-T-B]

Where did I say that I refuse to get vaccinated? I am vaccinated. I wear a mask. I believe that the pandemic is real and am doing all that I can to help things move along as nicely as possible. All I meant was that government and the media shouldn't rub it in our faces all the time...

Anyway, this thread is doomed. It should just be locked at this point...

I was referring to the group you are aparently rushing to defend... I do appreciate you doing your part. Maybe I misunderstood.

 

[claes]

The problem with calling a pandemic a “political cudgel” is that it only validates the people who are already convinced it’s a political cudgel and not an objective crisis. See post 16.

 

[dragontamer5788]

https://www.washingtonpost.com/technology/2021/12/21/ces-covid/

Alternative take from Wash. Po

“Out of an abundance of caution and care for our employees, we won’t be attending CES in person due to the evolving public health concerns related to covid-19,” said Meta spokesperson Kamran Mumtaz. The company plans to still participate virtually.

Amazon said late Tuesday it was pulling out of the in-person event. “The health and safety of our employees is our top priority. Due to the quickly shifting situation and uncertainty around the omicron variant, we will no longer have an on-site presence at CES,” said spokesperson Sarah Sobolewski.

So at least some companies, such as Meta/Facebook, are refusing to go over the Omicron concern.

T-Mobile Announcement About CES 2022 - T-Mobile Newsroom

After careful consideration and discussion, T-Mobile has made the difficult decision to significantly limit our in-person participation at this year's

www.t-mobile.com

T-mobile has a webpage with their announcement (announced in the Wash. Po article but the direct link is more official than hearing it from a 3rd party source). The T-mobile site reads:

After careful consideration and discussion, T-Mobile has made the difficult decision to significantly limit our in-person participation at this year's Consumer Electronics Show. While we are confident that CES organizers are taking exhaustive measures to protect in-person attendees and we had many preventative practices in place as well, we are prioritizing the safety of our team and other attendees with this decision. T-Mobile will continue to serve as a CES sponsor and title sponsor of the DRL Championship Race but the vast majority of our team will not be traveling to Las Vegas. Additionally, T-Mobile CEO Mike Sievert will no longer be offering a keynote in-person or virtually. T-Mobile’s entire team looks forward to an in-person CES 2023, which we hope includes an on-stage keynote in front of a live audience. We extend our sincere thanks to the entire CES staff for their hard work during these challenging times.

---------

So.... Meta/Facebook, Amazon, and T-Mobile at least are all citing health concerns, maybe even Omicron directly. There's no government law against the convention. There's no lockdown protocol in Las Vegas either. This is 100% a personal decision that these companies are making.

I know some people want to use this thread to discuss their greater COVID19 worries, but... we've got the other thread for that. I'm trying to remain focused on the parts of COVID19 that are related to this story. The CES convention in particular.

In any case, the official word from these companies seems to suggest Omicron and/or COVID19 worries. I'm not sure if I've found any official discussion talking about the chip-shortage instead. Does anyone have a citation of some company that's staying out of CES due to the chip shortage?

 

[DeathtoGnomes]

I would highly recommend that no one attend this show unless you have triple vaccine shots and you are double masked. And even then its not a good idea.

Oh and the J&J shot doesn’t count as it provides ‘zero’ protection against Omicron.

go jump in the lake, you trying to start a panic here?

See thats the problem with the US. It allows it's media to have free reign as it sees fit with 0 repercussions because they ALL have an agenda.

its not that they have free reign, more like no accountability. An agenda will always be there if there is politics behind it. The media hold a blantent disregard for the once respected job of being a journalist, which has been replace by a group of Useful Idiots that will say anything for $$$$, and consider it a chance at practicing their acting skills, anger-shock-dismay, extc.

--
In all fairness, I think those that bailed have nothing worth showing and that they just want something to blame to use as an excuse not to participate, all hail the pandemic and fear the chip shortage!

 

[Totally]

go jump in the lake, you trying to start a panic here?


its not that they have free reign, more like no accountability. An agenda will always be there if there is politics behind it. The media hold a blantent disregard for the once respected job of being a journalist, which has been replace by a group of Useful Idiots that will say anything for $$$$, and consider it a chance at practicing their acting skills, anger-shock-dismay, extc.

--
In all fairness, I think those that bailed have nothing worth showing and that they just want something to blame to use as an excuse not to participate, all hail the pandemic and fear the chip shortage!

That or COVID. A lot of the companies/parties jumping ship e.g. Ford, GM, T-Mobile, Google, and several other software companies that are fairly insulated from the chip shortage which shouldn't prevent them from holding a presentation. Chip shortage would have held as an excuse if it strictly were those affected like harware companies or MS's XBOX division but EVERYONE is bailing. It seems like the only thing that was preventing them from doing so sooner was that they didn't want to be the first.

 

[boidsonly]

Chip shortage? You haven't seen a chip shortage. Wait 'till China takes Taiwan. Then you will see a chip shortage. Dark days indeed....

 

[R-T-B]

jump in the lake, you trying to start a panic here?

I don't know about panic, but I think we all could do with a little less apathy. Right now the concern level re covid seems about there with "where'd I put my socks? ah who cares I have more..." and that's prolonging things unneccesarily.

 

[Caring1]

All this talk about chips is making me hungry, I'm sure I have some crinkle cut chips in the pantry.

 

[R-T-B]

All this talk about chips is making me hungry, I'm sure I have some crinkle cut chips in the pantry.

It's my birthday and thus my gut will now suffer accordingly. I'm blaming you.