The Best of CES Unveiled 2019: Sphero's Specdrums, Artemis Smart Mirror, LG 17-Inch Ultralight Laptop and More

The annual Consumer Electronics Show starts this week, with thousands of companies overtaking Las Vegas, Nevada to show off their latest technology products. The Show officially starts on Tuesday, January 8, but as usual, there was a CES Unveiled event on Sunday to allow members of the media a little preview of what's to come.

MacRumors attended CES Unveiled, and we rounded up some of the most interesting things that we came across at the event, along with a little bit of bonus coverage from Samsung's First Look event.


As usual, there were plenty of kooky, futuristic tech devices being shown off at the event, and while not all are Apple-related, it's definitely interesting to see what's new in the tech industry.

The Artemis Mirror, for example, runs a unique health-based CareOS platform that delivers a whole range of wellness and beauty features. It offers up eye tests, stretching exercises, virtual try-on for beauty products, AR tutorials for hair styles and makeup techniques, teleconferencing options, an air quality tracker, 360 degree video capture, support for voice commands, and more.

An Ovis suitcase, meanwhile, is a suitcase that's designed to follow you through the airport so you don't need to drag it along. It looks like a normal suitcase, but it's outfitted with a host of sensors and cameras to allow it to avoid obstacles and people.

LG was on hand to show off a new microbrew machine that offers up capsules for beer on demand, sort of like a Keurig for beer. Of more interest to Apple users might be LG's ultralight $1700 17-inch Gram laptop, which offers a 17-inch display in an ultralight package. Apple used to offer a 17-inch notebook option, but has phased it out in favor of smaller 15-inch displays. LG's Gram weighs just 2.9 pounds despite that huge display.

Also of interest was a huge bread machine that can churn out loaves by the dozen. It's not for home use, of course, being aimed at restaurants, but it's neat to see in action.

Sphero was on hand too, showing off its new Sphero Specdrums, which you can purchase right now starting at $64.99. You put a Specdrum on your finger and then you can use it to tap on colors to turn them into music. Specdrums work with an included color board from Sphero, but you can also use them with any kind of colored object to make different sounds.

At its Sunday event, Samsung was showing off some of what it plans to debut at CES 2019, with a full media event scheduled for Monday afternoon. Samsung had its 4K 75-inch modular microLED TV on display, which was amazing, along with the full Samsung Wall that we saw last year.

Samsung Wall is a display that, as the name suggests, takes up an entire wall, but this year it features new functionality like customization options and a mode that emulates an entertainment system.

We also got to see Samsung's new Space Monitor in action, which is really quite neat. The Space Monitor, which is available in 4K, uses an arm clamp to attach to the back of a desk, freeing up valuable working space. When not in use, the display folds back against a wall. It comes in 27 and 32 inches, with the 32 inch model offering a 4K resolution.

Make sure to stay tuned to MacRumors this week for all of our ongoing CES coverage, because there's a lot more to come. We'll be highlighting all of the new products and accessories relevant to Apple users, and we'll also have more videos from each of the major shows. To check out our coverage so far, take a look at our CES 2019 hub.

Popular Stories

m1 chip slide

Five Years of Apple Silicon: M1 to M5 Performance Comparison

Monday November 10, 2025 1:08 pm PST by
Today marks the fifth anniversary of the Apple silicon chip that replaced Intel chips in Apple's Mac lineup. The first Apple silicon chip, the M1, was unveiled on November 10, 2020. The M1 debuted in the MacBook Air, Mac mini, and 13-inch MacBook Pro. The M1 chip was impressive when it launched, featuring the "world's fastest CPU core" and industry-leading performance per watt, and it's only ...
All Screen iPhone 2027 Feature 1

Apple to Hide Selfie Camera Under Display of 20th Anniversary iPhone

Monday November 10, 2025 1:55 am PST by
Apple will conceal the front-facing camera under the screen of its 2027 iPhone, a Chinese leaker said today, corroborating reports that Apple's 20th anniversary iPhone will have no visible cutouts in the display. Weibo-based account Digital Chat Station said Apple's development of under-screen camera technology was progressing as planned for adoption in 2027, one year after it will...
iphone air thinness

iPhone Air Sales Are So Bad That Apple's Delaying the Next-Generation Version

Monday November 10, 2025 11:41 am PST by
The thin, light iPhone Air sold so poorly that Apple has decided to delay the launch of the next-generation iPhone Air that was scheduled to come out alongside the iPhone 18 Pro, reports The Information. Apple initially planned to release a new iPhone Air in fall 2026, but now that's not going to happen. Since the iPhone Air launched in September, there have been reports of poor sales...
iphone pocket%402x

Apple Debuts iPhone Pocket, a Limited Edition iPod Sock-Style Accessory

Tuesday November 11, 2025 1:23 am PST by
Apple has teamed up with Japanese fashion house ISSEY MIYAKE to launch iPhone Pocket, a 3D-knitted limited edition accessory designed to carry an iPhone, AirPods, and other everyday items. The accessory is like a stretchy pocket, not unlike an iPod Sock, but elongated to form a strap made of a ribbed, elastic textile that fully encloses an iPhone yet allows you to glimpse the display...
iOS 26

iOS 26.2 Available Next Month With These 8 New Features

Tuesday November 11, 2025 9:48 am PST by
Apple released the first iOS 26.2 beta last week. The upcoming update includes a handful of new features and changes on the iPhone, including a new Liquid Glass slider for the Lock Screen's clock, offline lyrics in Apple Music, and more. In a recent press release, Apple confirmed that iOS 26.2 will be released to all users in December, but it did not provide a specific release date....
Early Black Friday Deals 1

The Best Early Black Friday Apple Deals on AirPods, Apple Watch, iPad, and More

Saturday November 8, 2025 6:16 am PST by
We're officially in the month of Black Friday, which will take place on Friday, November 28 in 2025. As always, this will be the best time of the year to shop for great deals, including popular Apple products like AirPods, iPad, Apple Watch, and more. In this article, the majority of the discounts will be found on Amazon. Note: MacRumors is an affiliate partner with some of these vendors. When ...
homepod mini colors

New HomePod Mini Coming Soon With These Features

Tuesday November 11, 2025 7:30 am PST by
Apple is expected to announce a new HomePod mini imminently, headlining with new chips. Here are all of the new features we're expecting. The second-generation HomePod mini is highly likely to contain a more up-to-date chip for more advanced computational audio and improved responsiveness. The current HomePod mini is equipped with the Apple Watch Series 5's S5 chip from 2019. Apple is likely ...
Apple fitness plus feature

Future of Apple Fitness+ 'Under Review'

Sunday November 9, 2025 5:30 am PST by
The future of Apple Fitness+ is "under review" amid a reorganization of the service, according to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman. In the latest edition of his "Power On" newsletter, Gurman said that Apple Fitness+ remains one of the company's "weakest digital offerings." The service apparently suffers from high churn and little revenue. Nevertheless, Fitness+ has a small, loyal fanbase that...
iphone black friday gold

The Best Early Black Friday iPhone Deals

Monday November 10, 2025 10:18 am PST by
Cellular carriers have always offered big savings on the newest iPhone models during the holidays, and Black Friday 2025 sales have kicked off at AT&T, Verizon, T-Mobile, and more. Right now we're tracking notable offers on the iPhone 17, iPhone 17 Pro, iPhone 17 Pro Max, and iPhone Air. For even more savings, keep an eye on older models during the holiday shopping season. Note: MacRumors is...
2024 iPhone Boxes Feature

Apple Adjusts Trade-In Values for iPhones, iPads, Macs, and More

Thursday November 6, 2025 11:12 am PST by
Apple today updated its trade-in values for select iPhone, iPad, Mac, and Apple Watch models. Trade-ins can be completed on Apple's website, or at an Apple Store. The charts below provide an overview of Apple's current and previous trade-in values in the U.S., according to its website. Maximum values for most devices either decreased or saw no change, but the iPad Air received a slight bump. ...

Top Rated Comments

DHagan4755 Avatar
89 months ago
Hey Apple, how about bringing back the 17-inch MacBook?!
Score: 14 Votes (Like | Disagree)
snowboarder Avatar
89 months ago
Remember when Apple was actually the most innovative? Like actually creating new and exciting stuff?
I think they stopped as they felt no need to do anything but iPhones. It was the simplest and cheapest.
Why to invest in new R&D when you can sell 10,000 more iPhones just like that
and earn way more money without spending any?
Score: 6 Votes (Like | Disagree)
az431 Avatar
89 months ago
Remember when Apple was actually the most innovative? Like actually creating new and exciting stuff?
I think they stopped as they felt no need to do anything but iPhones. It was the simplest and cheapest.
Why to invest in new R&D when you can sell 10,000 more iPhones just like that
and earn way more money without spending any?
Does it ever get old repeating the same tired script over and over and over again?
Score: 5 Votes (Like | Disagree)
advancewarsbest Avatar
89 months ago
Hey Apple, how about bringing back the 17-inch MacBook?!
I'll settle for a 15" without the Touch Bar...and while we are dreaming a smaller trackpad would be great
Score: 5 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Gudi Avatar
89 months ago
Wow! So much stuff an Apple user couldn’t care less about. It almost feels as if I was there and I hate being at trade shows. All this trash made for landfill.
Score: 5 Votes (Like | Disagree)
SeaFox Avatar
89 months ago
"In fiscal year 2017, Apple spent $11.58 billion on research and development activities"
Patents are not products.
Score: 4 Votes (Like | Disagree)