Computex 2013 Highlighted Latest Trends in Information and Communications

Computex Taipei 2013 attracted over 130,000 attendees during its June 4-8 run, including 38,000 foreign buyers from 173 economies, and generated an estimated US$25 billion worth of business, according to Chairman C.K. Wang of the Taiwan External Trade Development Council (TAITRA), one of the show's organizers.

The estimated business opportunities resulting from Computex, Wang noted, are equal to 23% of Taiwan's exports of information and communications technology (ICT) equipment and 8.3% of its overall exports last year. The ICT industry, he stressed, was a decisive factor in Taiwan's advancement to fifth place in the IMD World Competitiveness Rankings this year, up from 10th in 2012.

The number of foreign buyers visiting the event was up 6% this year, with the top 10 sources being Japan, the U.S., mainland China, Hong Kong, South Korea, Singapore, Indonesia, Thailand, Malaysia, and Germany. Asian buyers accounted for 60% of the total, and European and American buyers 25%. Buyers from Indonesia and the UAE recorded the largest increases, of 46.6% and 36.5%, respectively.

Big-name presences at the show included Best Buy, a leading U.S. retailer of consumer electronics; Harvey Norman, the No. 1 electronics retailer in Australia and New Zealand; Staples, America's largest office-supply retailer; Lenovo, the world's top notebook manufacturer; and Huawei Technologies, mainland China's No. 1 maker of mobile phones.

The buyers shopped for the latest products at 5,042 booths manned by 1,724 exhibitors, among them being such heavyweights as the Intel Corp., Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co. (TSMC, a first-time exhibitor), Nvidia Corp., Mocrosoft Corp., Acer Inc., ASUSTEK Computer Inc., Marvell Technology Group, Broadcom Corp., Ford Motor Co. (the only automaker there), Avantech Corp., Delta Electronics Inc., Transcend Information, Advanced Micro Devices (AMD), Western Digital Corp. (WD), Corning Inc., Bayer AG, Gigabyte Technology Corp., and MiTAC Internatioanl Corp.

At the show, Intel unveiled its new Haswell CPU, a 22-nanometer low-power 4th-generation processor for convertible or “hybrid” Ultrabooks, and Microsoft gave a peep preview of its Windows 8.1, an update to Windows 8 which can be downloaded from the Windows Store. Nvidia showcased a series of GeForce graphic cards including the GeForce GTX760, which features a faster version of the GK 104 core used in the GeForce GTX670.

Acer debuted the industry's first eight-inch Windows 8 tablet, and the only tablet to be pre-installed with Microsoft Office, codenamed Iconia W3. The company also introduced its first “Phablet” smart phone, which comes with a 5.7-inch high-definition screen, along with its new 13.3-inch Aspire S3 Ultrabook.

Gigabyte showcased its P35K light, thin gaming notebook, and MiTAC rolled out an Android smart watch with a five-day battery and built-in heart-rate monitor. ASUSTEK launched the Transformer Book Trio, FonePad Note FHD6, and VivoOunse, all with a wireless mouse and touch technology.

Ford demonstrated its Ford Developer Program, which allows developers to create voice-activated apps for Ford cars.

According to Engadget, a U.S.-based publication covering the ICT industry, Computex is exceptional in being able to draw international ICT heavyweights to debut new products at a time when ever-more product launches are carried out outside international trade shows. Computex is currently the world's No. 2 ICT trade fair, second only to CeBIT in Hannover.

During the show TAITRA arranged 1,800 procurement matchmaking meetings, including one-on-one talks, for sellers and buyers.

This year's show highlighted three trends: Cloud Computing and Services, Smart Mobility, and Touch Enabled Applications. Prominent exhibitors in these fields included Acer, WD, Corning, Bayer, and MiTAC. Acer presented a personal cloud storage system dubbed Orbe, while WD showcased storage products, Corning showed off glass touch panels, and Bayer displayed mobile touch-control products. MiTAC pitched its high-performance server.

Technical workshops were arranged on the sidelines of the show to cover these three trends. TAITRA, along with foreign and Taiwanese companies, organized 162 workshops that drew over 11,000 participants. The largest numbers were attracted by the TAITRA-organized Summit Forum, Smart Living Industry Forum, Mobile Commerce Industry Forum, and Cloud Industry Forum.

At the Summit Forum on June 5, nearly 600 registrants came to hear high-profile speakers including Qualcomm President and COO Steve Mollenkoof, ARM CMO and EVP for Business Development Ian Drew, HTC CMO Benjamin Ho, and Ericsson CMOfficer Arun Bhikshesvaran. In the audience were such industry movers and shakers as TSMC Chairman and CEO Morris Chang and ASUSTEK CEO Jerry Shen.

Other industry forums were led by top executives from ARM, ASUS, IBM, Oracle, Siemens, and NXP, and addressed such hot topics as cloud computing, m-commerce, and smart living.

One of the top focuses of the show was innovation. The Computex d&i Awards competition attracted 250 entries, and 90 products were awarded. Five received a gold award: the dual-screen TAICHI Ultrabook from ASUSTEK, iPin laser presenter mobile accessory from Conary Enterprise Co., New HTC One smartphone from HTC Corp, OAXIX Loop Android TV box from OAXIX Holdings Pte., and Air Penetrator AP123 computer fan from Silverstone Technology Co.

The winning products were on display at Computex Taipei d&i pavilions in the Nangang Exhibition Hall and Taipei International Convention Center, attracting more than 20,000 visitors.

The next Computex Taipei is scheduled for June 3-7, 2014.