IFA 2024 wrap: Big tech shift begins in Berlin

On the eve of the giant IFA expo in Berlin last week, the biggest smile in Germany probably belonged to Steve Leon.

He is the face of ShowStoppers, a brand that is synonymous with the world’s major technology expos. It is a kind of “best of” showcase that is staged the evening before the main show begins, and hosts startups alongside established brands.

Leon has been presiding over the events for 26 years, staging ShowStoppers at the likes of the CES consumer tech expo in Las Vegas and the Mobile World Congress trade show in Barcelona. Usually, it is open only to media and analysts, making for a relatively subdued atmosphere. The CES edition has always been its flagship event, attracting the vast American technology press, as well as international media.

But something changed in Berlin this year.

A massive crowd crammed into the foyer of the South Hall at the Messe Berlin as attendees collected Showstoppers access badges. In the midst of the crowd, Leon himself manned a table registering those who had not received advance accreditation. And the more he was assailed by the procrastinators, the bigger his smile became.

“I’ve never seen anything like this in Europe,” he told us. “This is on a CES level.”

There were three subtle factors that could help explain the intense interest.

First, more than 70 startups and innovators introduced “next-generation tech for work, home and play,” as Leon put it. This fed into a growing awareness that consumer technology is undergoing a major shift, driven by both AI capabilities and powerful processors that dwarf the capacity of chips from just five years ago.

Secondly, the post-Covid hangover has been consigned to the dustbin of distant memories, and there is now almost a fever to be part of big events again.

Third, and with the greatest implications for the industry, major new Chinese brands are emerging with innovative products of such high quality and utility, they have all but buried the stereotype of cheap Chinese knock-offs.

The respected tech site Android Authority selected as its Best Smart Home product the Eureka J15 Pro Ultra robot vacuum cleaner. If there was one category that dominated IFA, it was vacuum cleaners of all description, with European appliance makers dotting the many halls. That Eureka – which is entering South Africa with the likes of cordless vacuum cleaners – stole the Europeans’ show says much about its tech.

The same applied to Ecoflow, already a highly respected portable power storage brand in South Africa. Its broad range of compact and elegant energy devices were a hit at both ShowStoppers and the main IFA show, where it had one of the most information-rich stands.

TimeKettle, which makes earbuds with instant in-ear language translation – a real-life version of the fictional Babel fish in “The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy ” – cemented its reputation at ShowStoppers. Once seen as a buggy Chinese gimmick, its demos convinced hardened analysts that the future of communication was on its way.

Then there is Anker, which competes with EcoFlow in portable power, but made its name in wireless charging. If ever there was a category that is overrated and underwhelming in quality, this is it. Yet, Anker has made a name for itself in the category, to the extent that hard-travelling media tend to rely on its devices. It’s fast-charging brick is the most reliable and sturdy this writer has used.  In 2022, Anker overtook 40-year-old American manufacturer Belkin as the world’s leading wireless charging maker. Most of its users don’t realise it is a Chinese brand.

This is the real shift in technology that began in Berlin: a new generation of appliances, gadgets and tools is about to transform consumer choice.

* Arthur Goldstuck is CEO of World Wide Worx and editor-in-chief of Gadget.co.za. Follow him on social media on @art2gee.