To the chagrin of the channel, Michael Dell has grown his business from a hobby at college, to a billion dollar empire by evangelising the direct model.

When I first met him, he told me that he used to hide computer equipment in his bathroom at college when his parents came to visit so they wouldn't find out he was up to. They wanted him to go to medical school, Michael had other plans!

Since then, Dell, facilitated by the rise of the Internet, hasn't done a bad job. So if you want to share some air with one of the IT industry's greatest entrepreneurs he's back in Vegas this year at CES.

When: 2:30 p.m. Thursday, January 5,

Where: Sands Hotel: Venetian/Galileo 904

November 24, 2005 in Keynotes | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Google co-founder Larry Page has been added to the line-up of keynote speakers at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas. The multi-billionaire is scheduled to appear on Friday 6 January at 4pm in the Hilton Hotel next to the convention centre.

Scheduling Page as a speaker sends a strong reminder of that other large technology show that used to take place in Vegas: Comdex. At its height, the show used to schedule internet companies as keynote speakers. The show then quickly fell and was cancelled after its 2003 edition.

What is Page looking to say at a show where LCD TVs, home entertainment and the high definition DVD standards war are likely to rule the headlines? CES seems to be thinking that internet search too is 'consumer electronics', as Yahoo CEO Terry Semel is scheduled to speak on the same day as Page at 9am.

Larry Page, Google, CES

November 15, 2005 | Permalink | Comments (1) | TrackBacks (0)

Although Bill Gates to me sounds a little bit like Kermit the frog (and you have never seen both of them in the same room together), his keynotes are always packed to the rafters and usually a lot of fun.

He also uses the platform to showcase hot new products. In the past, gates has used the show to launch products such as the Tablet PC, Xbox and the Smartphone.

Its an absoulte MIOMO: miss it or miss out

After all who could forget last year's antics? http://www.cesblog.co.uk/2005/01/gates_keynote_t.html

bill CES consumer

Hear Gates speak: 6:30 p.m. Wednesday, January 4, 2006, Las Vegas Hilton

November 8, 2005 in Keynotes | Permalink | Comments (1) | TrackBacks (0)

Over the last 10 years or so, Comdex used to be one of the biggest IT trade shows in the world and it was widely seen as the show to go and see the technoracy such as Bill Gates and the latest and greatest new products.

Although CeBIT in Germany claims to be the biggest trade show in the world and perhaps has more of a business appeal, the Consumer Electronics Show is perhaps now seen as the "daddy" of IT trade shows and the one to go to.

Now held in Las Vegas with 100s of 1000s of atendees, the first CES took place in New York City in June of 1967 with 200 exhibitors and 17,500 attendees.

Mushrooming since then, the CES show will now have 2,500 exhibitors, filling 1.5 million net square feet of exhibit space. Last year, over 130,000 attended  the 2005 International CES.

Did you now some of these products made their debuts at the CES show?

Products That Debuted at CES

CES CESConsumer

November 8, 2005 in CES Show | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)