Electronics manufacturers such as local PC maker Asustek Computer Inc (華碩電腦) saw unit sales grow as much as 30 percent during the annual information technology (IT) fair in Taipei, sending an encouraging message that consumers are beginning to spend on technology devices again, event organizer Taipei Computer Association (TCA, 電腦公會) said yesterday.
That may bring the total sales of electronic gadgets to NT$7 billion (US$218 million) during the nine-day year-end trade show, dubbed “IT Month,” up 16 percent from NT$6 billion last year, TCA said.
Most electronics makers, including Asustek, Sony and BenQ Corp (明基), said unit sales beat their expectations by between 15 percent and 40 percent, with notebook computers showing the strongest demand, the organizer said.
PHOTO: CNA
“Sales have exceeded our target of increasing 30 percent over last year,” Kevin Lin (林福能), a vice president of Asustek, said by telephone.
“We are seeing computer replacement demand, helped by widespread economic recovery,” Lin said.
People are preparing to upgrade their computers after Microsoft launched its new operating system, Windows 7, Lin said.
The nation’s economy is expected to shrink 2.53 percent annually this year, an upward revision from a decline of 4.04 percent made by the government statistics agency.
About 810,000 visitors scrambled to the trade show this year, up 6.6 percent from last year’s 760,000, as limited exhibition space hampered growth, the TCA said in a statement.
That indicated that consumer confidence was recovering gradually, the organizer said.
Ultra-slim standard laptop computers and all-in-one computers were a hit this year, replacing netbooks, the TCA said.
Handheld device makers also reported robust sales, helped by new products.
HTC Corp (宏達電), the world’s biggest maker of handsets running Microsoft’s system, and Garmin, the world’s second-biggest global positioning device maker, said their sales soared by 80 percent and 30 percent, from a year ago.
The fair is set to start its second of three sessions in Taichung on Friday, lasting until Dec. 16.
The last session of the fair will take pace in Kaohsiung from Dec. 26 to Jan. 1.
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