Sharp at CES 2011: nearing its centenary, and looking forward to Galapagos

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There was a commendable lack of self-congratulation at the Sharp press conference this lunchtime (lunch, incidentally, was of the Saran-wrapped variety that’s seemingly built to withstand a nuclear strike).

For a company on the cusp of its centenary year – it was founded in 1912, in the propelling pencil business, and made its first radios in the 1920s –, Sharp is facing determinedly forward rather than basking in previous glories.

As is only appropriate when addressing a predominately American audience, Sharp executives dwelt lingeringly on the subject of size. ‘Making bigger better’ was a recurring theme, and the news that 70 inches is the new 55 inches seemed to play well with the natives in the crowd.

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Simon Lucas

Simon Lucas is a technology journalist, with a strong emphasis on the audio/video side of consumer electronics and home entertainment, and has been since 2003. He worked for more than 14 years at What Hi-Fi?, the last six of which were spent as the editor of the magazine and website. Since then he's written for Wired, The Guardian, TechRadar, Stuff, GQ and many more besides. 

In the course of his career he's developed a pretty deep understanding of the way both the publishing and the electronics industries function, as well as the sort of intimate knowledge of audio products (both specific and general) that can make people very wary of him at parties.