So Far, CES 2017 Is About Refinement

While generally we see a collection of new or otherwise daring devices at the Consumer Electronics Show, CES 2017 is about improving what works. This can be seen best in the collections of devices shown by Acer, Lenovo, and HP, the lot of which revealed a set of notebooks, displays, and keyboards improved incrementally from years past. It's as if the entirety of the PC industry has finally caught Apple "Just a bit better each time" fever.

HP has a nice looking refinement with their Envy 34 all-in-one device. This is a PC, and its innards aren't all that different from any other similarly-sized device, but it rolls with a display that's pretty nice-looking. HP also announced their incrementally-updated 3D-scanning PC, the Sprout Pro G2 AIO. (seen above) It looks very similar to the previous model, but is just a bit better in several important ways.

The HP Spectre x360 15 (seen above) looks relatively similar to its predecessor, but is given a bump in looks and innards. This is one of the finer looking notebooks released by any PC-making manufacturer, and one of the all-round best personal computers out on HP's lineup today.

One of the smoothest transitions into the future in notebooks – without getting too crazy different from models of the past – is the Acer Aspire VX 15. This is a gaming laptop that brings a good balance of cost, power, and industrial design that says "Gaming" without screaming the word. Acer also updated their V Nitro, Predator 17X, and Predator 21X notebooks, as well.

Looking quite similar to the Aspire VX (at a glance), the Lenovo Legion Y720 is a fine addition to the company's collection of VR-ready notebooks. This device has light-up keys and enough power inside to drive an Oculus Rift or HTC Vive right out the box. Lenovo is adding notebooks to their lineup without breaking too hard from industrial design tradition.

While Lenovo's Windows Holographic headset may seem new, the technology embedded within is mostly made by Microsoft – or at least made to their spec. Lenovo's headset also isn't quite ready for prime-time – this unit isn't yet a working model. So it is with most of the "wow, that's weird" devices we've seen thus far – either not quite finalized or not quite ready to be announced as a consumer product.