Surprisingly, NBC will not be broadcasting the Super Bowl in 3D, one of the few large sporting events of late that will be viewed in just two dimensions. Whether this hinders 3DTV sales this year prior to the game remains to be seen, but at first glance, it appears to be a lost opportunity for TV manufacturers and content providers who have invested substantially in the technology. Along with movies and video games, many consumers want to watch sports in 3D. The NPD Group’s 3D 360 Monitor Wave 5 study reports 60 percent of sports fans are interested in watching 3D sporting events with professional football the sport consumers most want to experience.

Despite robust sales (NPD’s Retail Tracking Service shows nearly 2 million native 3D sets were sold in 2011) consumer interest in 3D remains fragile and objections to increased set costs and wearing 3D glasses lead the list of reasons not to buy. A significant third obstacle to adoption, however, is the availability of enough content to justify the investment. That the highest profile sporting event of the year will not be broadcast in 3D is a blow in that respect. Whether or not millions of viewers planned to watch the Super Bowl in 3D is debatable, but it’s safe to say many assumed it would be.

Underneath these results are some truly interesting data points that show the health of the PC market through the channel. Notebook PCs saw an ASP of $764 in 2011, down just 5 percent from 2010 and actually up $4 from 2009. Desktop PCs also showed remarkably strong average selling prices, with 2011’s ASP of $638 down just under 3 percent from 2010, and up from $625 in 2009. Finding stable pricing anywhere in the IT hardware marketplace is a difficult task but in such a high-profile market as the PC market it is impressive. Equally impressive is the fact that despite these minimal price drops both desktops and notebooks have grown units in double digits in each of the last two years. The results has been the addition of 4.5m extra units, and approximately $2.2b, sold in 2011 versus the volumes posted in 2008 for all PCs.

Some of this is clearly the result of manufacturers making decisions to invest incrementally in the reseller and distribution channel as a way to reach the smaller businesses that have been growing their PC purchasing over the last year (as we mentioned in a blog post a few weeks ago). This investment has been primarily the result of the premier access the channel has to the SMB marketplace. NPD’s SMB Technology Monitor showed that 32 percent of expected PC purchases from SMBs with 50-999 employees were expected to be made through VARs and DMRs, the primary resellers in these channels.

Finally, the brand competition between HP and Lenovo also provides a strong source of motivation and sales strength in the channel. Over the past four years approximately 60 percent of all sales through these channels have been to one of these two brands. And according to NPD’s SMB Technology Monitor that is likely to continue as these two brands have the highest sales conversion rates to SMBs with 50-999 employees of any of the channel centric PC companies. It seems that by the objective measure of sales that business demand and the channel volumes show that the PC market has delivered strong results over the past four years. Despite the trials and challenges of the last four years NPD’s commercial and distributor POS data show that PCs continue to outperform the industry in both sales growth and channel opportunity and the SMB monitor points to continued demand ahead in 2012.

The current smartphone data plans are 200MB ($15), 2GB ($25), and 4GB ($45), the latter including hotspot tethering. The new plans raise the stakes in terms of data and price, with 300MB ($20), 3GB ($30) and 5GB ($50), again, with the latter plan including tethering.

So why the change? According to AT&T, the change reflects the increased consumption by consumers with their smartphones and tablets. In other words, we need more data. If the argument holds true, then the pricing is a benefit, with the new plans offering cheaper pricing per GB. But on the downside, if we don’t need more data, then the new plans make the jump into smartphones just that bit more expensive, especially with the lack of those often talked about family data plans still conspicuously absent.

NPD Connected Intelligence tracks data consumption on Android smartphones through an on-device meter. Average cellular data tracks comfortably under 2GB on average (and typically averages out at 1GB per month). This is not to say that consumers are not pounding data on their smartphones, but we find that Wi-Fi use far outweighs the cellular consumption.

And for those that do exceed the old 2GB point, AT&T offered a reasonable $10 for an additional 1G. The downside of the new price points is that three is an increased barrier to entry, particularly for tablet plans, which are also now priced at $14.99 (250MB) $30 (3GB) and $50 (5GB). Our research shows that not only are the majority of tablet users not leveraging cellular connections, but that an increasing number of tablet users are choosing Wi-Fi only (65% are Wi-Fi only now, compared to 60% in April 2011).

But in fairness to AT&T, their plan has some merit: Verizon Wireless also charges $30 for its primary smartphone (and tablet) data plan, but provides just 2GB for that price. So perhaps AT&T’s real trick here is at least to provide pricing parity and let the consumers easily see what you get (or not) for the price point, offering a whole additional 1GB. So be it, but neither company is likely to see a major upswing in tablet users as a result.

First, if anyone walked into Central Hall you would have thought you were in Korea. The two dominant brands on the floor were Samsung and LG. Not just because they had among the biggest, splashiest booths but because they seemed to contain pretty much every product in the CE world and beyond, from PCs to freezers, from digital speaker docks, to TVs and sound systems. They had the most futuristic displays and the most eye-popping presentations of new technologies, although in fairness they do choose to display all this technology, other companies may have equally cool stuff but keep it under wraps. NPD’s data has tracked the growth of these two companies for many years and both, especially Samsung, have accelerated their share gains across a host of categories in the past year. It is easy to see why when one sees their demonstrations of today’s technology and tomorrow’s innovations they appear poised to continue to grow.

The second revelation is that while brands are obviously important, this year it felt like most of the noise and excitement at CES came from the supply chain and not the brand owners. Intel and ultrabooks, Android phones powered by Google, Windows Phones, Windows 8, amazing new screen technology from Samsung and LG’s display technology companies, and giant screens from Sharp’s fabs were all the rage and generated most of the interest.

That is why it is more interesting as to why Microsoft gave up its starring slot at CES, just as the power in the industry appears to be moving back towards the supply chain and away from the customer facing brands. It appears to me that next year’s keynote could just as likely come from Intel or Google as it could from any consumer brand. The torch has definitely been passed and the CE business is changing and, as always, CES provides a great reflection of where the next generation of technology elite will come from.

TV. I’ve long said that 3D and connectivity were in some ways sideshows that TV manufacturers were trotting out until they could get to that terra firma of marketing better picture quality, and CES 2012 marked the beginning of the journey home with LG and Samsung showing off 55” OLED TVs and Sony unveiling plans to use a competitive technology dubbed Crystal LED. Of course, these new display technologies aren’t mutually exclusive to either 3D (which the offerings from LG and Samsung support) or connectivity. Indeed, one of the big TV focal points for Samsung was the idea of Smart TV Evolution, in which the “computing” part of the set, including components such as the processor, can be swapped out every year to keep up with the latest advances. This essentially borrows from the old idea of desktop CPU and RAM upgrades, but in the connected AV space.

Ultrabooks. The TV was not the only high-grossing holiday favorite to receive a push forward. Intel drove ultrabooks hard at the show amid several promising debuts from Acer (the S5), HP (the Spectre), Dell (XPS 13), Samsung (the revamped Series 9) and the 360-degree rotating Lenovo Yoga, which was a finalist at the Last Gadget Standing competition for which I served as a judge. Intel vowed to justify its heavy investment in the ultrabook name – which it says will account for it largest marketing push since Centrino – by making ultrabooks stronger competitors to tablets using movement sensors, touch screens, speech, and Kinect-like gesture input. In what stands to be its last CES appearance for the foreseeable future, Microsoft was also showing off Windows 8. And while it didn’t have much news on that front, Intel’s push for touch on ultrabooks certainly provides stronger alignment between the two PC giants.

The Crossovers. One of the greater bits of evidence that the attention was on incumbent categories at this CES was the big crossover moves by Lenovo and Vizio. The former announced its first television (for China only, to start), an Android 4.0-infused dual core 55” IPS display with a motion controller, and an integrated Lenovo app store. Vizio, coming over from the TV side, showed off several ultra-thin notebooks and desktops. The desktops will include a wireless keyboard, trackpad, and even a remote control in the box. Curiously, the notebooks, while qualifying as ultrabooks under Intel’s definition won’t be marketed as such, as Vizio stakes its claims.

Imaging Products. This year looks like it will finally be the year of the connected camera (and camcorder!). Of course, over the years, we’ve seen Sony and Kodak experiment with Wi-Fi in their cameras but, following Samsung’s expansion of its Wi-Fi camera line, both venerable brands were back with Kodak bowing the EasyShare M750 and Sony realizing what was to be the next step for the Flip camcorder line with the Bloggie live Wi-Fi-enabled camcorder. The hot segment of POV action cameras also got in on the Wi-Fi excitement with GoPro showing off a new Wi-Fi add-on for its Hero 2 and GoBandit showing off a Wi-Fi action camcorder.

Home Networking. With so much emphasis on higher-speed networking devices, particularly TVs, in the home, it’s no surprise that home networking standards are being elevated as well. The next version of Wi-Fi, 802.11ac, should double throughput in the 5 GHz band while a new standard, 802.11ad, which brings forward the work of the WiGig Alliance, will allow for multi-gigabyte transfer of data over same-room distances as well as displaying uncompressed HD video from a tablet or smartphone up to an HDTV. Meanwhile, the standards battle for new “no new wires” technology continues, with HomePlug AV 2 citing the benefits of its field experience against the HomeGrid/G.hn camp.

Health and Fitness. Not everything was a step up for the familiar. CES continued to show that we are moving toward a future that can include self-monitoring of nearly every vital sign. No fewer than three connected scales were on display with pioneer Withings showing off a connected baby scale. Two of the more intriguing products were from Basis, which can measure a wide array of inputs such as perspiration levels and pulse to determine the kind of exercise one is engaging in, and Striiv, which combines several motivation techniques and challenges to keep its owners on the move. Striiv includes its own miniature touchscreen, further bucking the trend of using the smartphone as the input and output for a range of “appcessories.”

Cellular Enablement. While nearly all of the major “screens” at CES included Wi-Fi, there were also signs of cellular access seeping into older and newer categories. These included the PlayStation Vita, for which AT&T will be the carrier in its HSPA+ configuration due to ship next month. Seagate also showed off an LTE-enabled version of its GoFlex Satellite, which could help its cause as a Wi-Fi mobile hotspot and server for the vehicle. And Voxx International, steward of the Audiovox and a stable of other accessory brands, maintained the time is right to launch products that include monthly fees for cellular access. These include monitoring products for people (Care Connection) and vehicles (Car Connection) as well as the Tagg pet tracker, with which it is working with Qualcomm. Sprint is the Voxx’ carrier partner for its new connected products.

Of course, even with all this activity among established and emerging device categories, this should still be a year that sees many impressive smartphone introductions. Here, though, CES must compete with two other debut stages, including CTIA, which has been pushed back to allow a bit more breathing room for handset companies, and Mobile World Congress, coming up next month in Barcelona. These two shows’ focus should provide help complete the picture of what the major consumer device lineup looks like for the year.

While the numbers are certainly impressive – one-third of sales is from digital sources (online, mobile), doubling of mobile sales (by the end of Q3 2011, HSN had already doubled the mobile sales from the previous year), and sold a half million Android tablets and 700K digital imaging devices in 2011.What’s more compelling is the wide array of targeted (female) digital efforts underway, including interactive TV, shop by remote capabilities, mobile (apps, QR codes), and online (including the launch of casual games, among others). These efforts are audience-focused, integrated cross-channel, with the goal of driving retail sales.

While it’s still early, the launch of online gaming (six months ago) is driving traffic and visits: HSN has seen 30 million game plays, with gaming visitors spending twice as much time on the HSN site and visiting twice as often. The goal is that more time spent = more retail sales. Time will tell if HSN’s preface that it’s not just time spent, but gaming activities themselves, that are synergistic in driving more retail sales. It will also be interesting to see how this and other efforts translate into extensions/enhancements to HSN’s mobile strategy (i.e., in-app gaming, shopping and sharing).

HSN certainly has an opportunity to ride the mobile shopping wave. According to NPD’s Connected Intelligence SmartMeter, which tracks consumer use of smartphone applications, websites and other content and services, shopping sites and applications enjoyed a significant upswing in use, beginning in November. Early results from December show that use increasing as consumers sought out the best deals. And, ultimately for HSN, it’s not just about delivering compelling applications; it’s also about delivering compelling mobile web experience. Regardless of what many consider, mobile website access is still a major access point. Indeed in November, NPD Connected Intelligence saw that shopping websites had a 69 percent reach compared to 53 percent for shopping apps.

HSN’s positioning at the intersection of women, technology and retail is compelling for CE manufacturers. The company needs to continue to exploit not only this powerful audience to drive sell-through of product, but also smartly integrate and optimize how consumers leverage many of these same products – from smartphones to tablets to smart TVs – with its content cross-screen, cross-platform.

On the mobile side, my wireless provider held the ultimate high ground, owning my cell phone number. Any switch in allegiance meant revoking my right to the number and beginning all over again. And while we all did occasionally switch, the move was hardly ever the result of a spur-of-the-moment decision. When data came along, the mobile carriers also offered email addresses in another bid to cement the relationship. Of course, both the email address and the phone number are now independent entities: we have alternative email options, such as Gmail, and the ability to port our numbers from carrier to carrier.

The latest approach to encourage loyalty is the cloud. Carriers offer cloud space to ensure that your smartphone device is automatically backing up to a safe zone. Those photos, no longer just trivial snaps, but now your core photographic album of events, can be safely stored with the carrier, as can your contacts and other content. Connected device OEMs are also throwing in some cloud access, with everyone from Apple and Microsoft to much smaller OEMs, all talking up the cloud.

But just as the email address and the phone number were retention tools, so too is the cloud. Once a consumer’s content is in said cloud, the move to switch from one to another becomes a matter of pain and effort. However, the cloud strategy goes beyond the old plan of retention alone, but can factor into encouraging consumers to remain brand-loyal as they consider additional purchases. After all, if the content is held in one cloud, the goal is to access that content from all devices, rather than having different devices pointing to different clouds.

And so, it is no surprise that a big theme at CES this year is the cloud. While last year was all about the tablet, this year focuses on what to do with tablet content – and how to expand the sphere of influence further. While the cloud itself may be an amorphous service concept, rather than a consumer electronic product per se, the goal is clear: hold onto the consumer’s content and you can build a CE ecosystem around it.

At the other end of the spectrum, is Decide. Decide also wants to ensure that the price is right, but by recommending when – and where – to purchase the product to guarantee that the deal is the best that you are likely to see in the coming months. Their algorithms look at billions of price considerations, as well as the likelihood that a new version of the product is just about to launch. The system is based on the same concept as Farecast, the flight fare comparison tool purchased by Microsoft in 2008. When the price looks to be as low as it will go, customers are referred to the correct buying site, and Decide gains a small commission for the pass-through.

While Savvy can be considered to be an ally of all things retail, Decide is an online tool, partnering with the likes of Amazon. While brick and mortar retailers can certainly be part of this process, the name of the game is purely a price negotiation, rather than considering the benefits of service expertise and customer rep knowledge, for example. Add into this mix the plethora of scan-based price comparison tools that are appearing from many online providers (such as Amazon) and the retail market looks set to face some interesting challenges before the end of the year.

If consumers don’t have a broadband connection (and really they only would if they had cable or a telco service) Dish will feed down tons of programming from satellite to that deep dish hard drive so there is the semblance of a rich programming trough. But if Dish customers want a broadband connection as well, the satellite provider would deliver it through a cooperative agreement with ViaSat. The two would provide 12 Mbps of data throughput via satellite for under $80 a month, about $60 of which would be for the broadband and the rest for a tier of Dish video.

Dish is confident that 8 million to 10 million heartland households will buy in because broadband access is worth it. It is again an indication that IP is the pipe of the future and that every service provider–wireline, satellite, and even wireless–has to climb aboard the IP bandwagon.

NPD’s Imaging Confluence study found more than one third of consumers said it would be “very” or “extremely important” for their next digital camera to have the capability both to upload wirelessly to the Internet to share photos, as well as to wirelessly transmit to other devices. The loudest voices for wireless capability in a digital camera were those of Moms, as well as those who are above average photo printers. Nearly half of these consumers stated that wireless capability would be “very” or “extremely” important in their next camera.

And it’s clear, even in a world where smartphones have become a quick, convenient way to snap photos on the go, there are still plenty of consumers who demand features which are just not accessible on their smartphones. According to NPD’s Weekly Tracking Service during the five weeks ending December 24th 2011, point-and-shoot cameras with less than 10x optical zoom declined by 37 percent in units, but those 10x or greater increased by 46 percent, marking a solid dichotomy in the market. At the same time, detachable lens cameras rose by 17 percent.

The market for compact cameras isn’t dying, it’s just evolving. Imaging hardware manufacturers have heard the consumers’ call and are finally answering it.