A strong turnout at the annual Computex trade show may be good news for the PC industry, but for Taipei's Xinyi District (信義), the show has caused serious traffic congestion year after year.
But this year’s exhibit, split between the World Trade Center’s Xinyi location and its new facilities in Nangang (南港), finally seems to have solved that problem — without risking lower sales figures.
Purchasing power is strong this year among foreign visitors to the second-largest electronics trade show in the world, which undoubtedly has manufacturers breathing a sigh of relief as a weakening global economy, mounting inflation and soaring oil prices have sparked nightmare visions of a downward spiral in electronic spending for both consumers and companies alike. Analysts and companies usually view Computex as a barometer for the PC and electronics industry outlook in the second half of the year.
An official from the Taipei Computer Association (TCA, 台北市電腦公會), a co-organizer of Computex, said the split-exhibit arrangement had improved traffic in the area without inconveniencing potential buyers. The Nangang exhibition hall is about a 20-minute drive from the Xinyi location.
Based on initial observations, the TCA expects sales figures comparable to previous years.
The association said Taiwanese exhibitors should receive approximately US$20 billion in orders from foreign companies during this year’s five-day trade fair, predicting a 33 percent rise over last year’s US$15 billion in orders.
At the exhibition halls, one trend is striking: The number of buyers from other parts of Asia — particularly South Asia — seems to have grown significantly this year, which could be a function of the growing purchasing power of companies in emerging economies while their US counterparts tighten their belts.
A TCA official who declined to be named said, however, that “visitors from the US still comprise the biggest share of overseas buyers this year as in the past, according to our rough data.”
Detailed statistics will be released today after the trade show closes, the official said.
Rather than hunting for the cutting-edge of technology, this year’s buyers are interested in the selection of small and low-priced laptops. Potential customers crowded the booths of Asustek Computer Inc (華碩電腦), maker of the ultra low-cost Eee PC family.
Even Asustek’s rivals could be found among those taking a closer look at the company’s lineup.
“I’m not buying, but taking a look [at Asustek’s Eee PCs]. We are rivals,” a representative from a US company said as he examined Asustek products.
Intel Corp also drew crowds with its exhibit showcasing products from Asustek, Acer Inc, motherboard maker Microstar International Co Ltd (微星科技) and Chinese electronics maker Haier Co (海爾) that contain the US company’s new Atom chip for low-cost notebooks.
The Atom-chip notebooks on display were all equipped with 8.9-inch or 10-inch liquid-crystal-display (LCD) screens, an upgrade from the 7-inch Eee PC launched by Asustek last year — the first of the Eee series.
Chipmakers VIA Technologies Inc (威盛電子), Nvidia Corp and Qualcomm Inc also showcased new chips for low-cost notebooks and mobile Internet devices (MID), computing devices with small screens of around 5 inches.
Other gadgets that seemed poised to report big orders this year included Global Positioning Systems (GPS), LCD televisions, networking products and devices for multimedia games, the event’s organizers said.
Around 30,000 visitors showed an interest in next-generation WiMAX technology, visiting a separate exhibition hall showcasing communications products that allow high-speed Internet access on the technology, the organizers said. Acer, Asustek and Quanta Computer Inc (廣達電腦) displayed new laptop models equipped with Intel’s latest Centrino chips enabling WiMAX Internet access.
As of Thursday, more than 27,000 foreign buyers had visited the rest of the Computex show.
The Taiwan External Trade and Development Council (TAITRA, 外貿協會), also a co-organizer, said it had helped local companies land more than US$200 million in orders through one-on-one talks with 113 foreign buyers on June 3 and June 4, a press release said yesterday.
“Companies exhibiting at the fair told us that buying sentiment is quite strong this year and they are not seeing any negative impact from the global economy,” said a TCA official in charge of the annual event.
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