For the second year running, Apple was the most talked about company at the Consumer Electronics Show (CES).  Everywhere you went people were discussing the rumors of the Verizon iPhone, and sitting on pins and needles at every Verizon event.  The iPad 2 got its fair amount of talk around the show also.

Pretty impressive for a company that doesn’t even come to the show.

No matter what your opinion of Apple may be, you have to admit they are master marketers.  They don’t attend CES, and they’ve even given up going to MacWorld, and the question is, why should they bother? With a few well placed comments, some “leaked” info and a couple of “no comments”, the company saves themselves thousands and thousands of dollars in booth fees, transportation and expenses, but get just as much press coverage, if not more, than by being here.

Last year it was the rumors of the announcement of the iPad being imminent which completely overshadowed the show.  All anyone could talk or write about was the possibility we were finally going to see the long rumored Apple tablet.  This year, once again, the iPad came into play, but just the second iteration of the device.

Of course, the biggest “news” (which is still just a rumor) was that Verizon is getting the iPhone this week.  We won’t know until Tuesday if this is true, but every indication points to that being the case.  Wasn’t it just a tad convenient the invitations for this Tuesday morning event went on out to the media on Saturday morning?  You know, the morning after Verizon had its last media event, so every one was writing how they didn’t get it?  No, that couldn’t have anything to do with Apple once again controlling the news cycle and making sure that they got pre-show, during the show and post-show coverage.

Steve Jobs and company are beginning to prove again and again that they will sway the coverage any way they want, and nothing will happen in the consumer electronics industry without them getting at least some coverage out of it.

So, what will it be in 2012?  CES is a week later next year, so I’m thinking it will be iPad 3 and perhaps some “leaked” information on the iPhone 6?  I guess we’ll find out next January.

What say you?  Is CES starting to be tainted every year by Apple?