Summing up this week, it could be said the week of Feb.9-13 is the calm before the storm. Fresh off the heels of the successful ISE 2026, the custom electronics industry will focus on the KBIS/International Builders’ Show in Orlando on Feb.17-19 and Lightapalooza 2026, which takes place in Austin, Texas on Feb.16-19.
From the perspective of earth-shattering breaking news, there were no big news items this past week, but there were several interesting items that we’ll get to in the KMB Comm Technology Week in Review.
The Residential Market Looks back at ISE 2026
The feedback from various industry pros throughout the custom installation and commercial AV markets was the Integrated Systems Europe (ISE) 2026 show was a terrific event.
For example, Residential Systems did a recap of some of the best products exhibited at ISE 2026. Topping the publication’s list was the new Sonos Amp Multi. Other items to make the magazine’s highlights include Meridian’s DSP750 and DSP 730 in-wall loudspeakers 2026 edition products.
Speaking of trade shows, back in the fall of 2025 in the Lenbrook booth, DALI showed its affordable KUPID bookshelf loudspeakers. For its latest product review Future Audiophile looked at the latest product from the Danish home audio company.
Without giving the point of the review away, let’s just say the writeup is worth reading. To check out the review, go here.
Peeking at some news from the commercial side of the electronics industry, SCN magazine posted a video on how Disney Imagineers utilize “Pepper’s Ghost,” which is an old amusement park technique.
KMB Comm Technology Week in Review National News Items
Shifting gears, the KMB Comm Technology Week in Review’s first national news story is from LinkedIn. The social media platform is reporting that Apple is poised to release several products this year including a reasonably priced iPhone 17e.
Another item from LinkedIn reports that Spotify shares jumped after the news that it had set a record for the most users added during a quarter. The story says the streaming media service added 38 million users from October to December 2025 spurred by its “Wrapped” year-end summaries, and an expansion of its free services.
Closing the KMB Comm Week in Review out is news from Yahoo Finance that job hires had exceeded economists’ expectations. According to the story, the U.S. added 130,000 new jobs, which far exceeds the 50,000 jobs figure from the previous month.
KMB Communications hosts a podcast called AV Trade Talk. Listeners can check out the podcast to learn about the latest happenings in the custom installation electronics industry. To listen to the KMB AV Trade Talk Podcast, click here.