PaidContent is reporting that Apple is in fact at CES but just scouting the competition:

While wandering around the Central Hall of the Las Vegas Convention Center Tuesday, I bumped into Greg Joswiak, head of iOS product marketing for Apple, just outside of Sony’s booth. Joz, as he’s known within the Apple community, grinned sheepishly upon being recognized by a reporter and stopped to chat for a few minutes.

Joswiak said he was interested in how other companies present their products at events such as CES, from things like booth layout and aesthetics to which products are highlighted within a company’s booth. He seemed less than impressed with Sony’s booth but didn’t really want to get into a lengthy discussion.

Apple is always famously absent from CES and trade shows altogether but tends to steal the show regardless.