The Taipei International Electronics Spring Show, or Taitronics Spring, and the Taipei International Optoelectronics Show kicked off at the Taipei World Trade Center yesterday. The five-day shows, which opened to the public yesterday afternoon, saw a drop in exhibitors and visitors from last year, but there were plenty of interesting gadgets to see among the components, chips, cables and machinery.
"This year there are fewer people than last year," said Hsu Wei-guang (徐偉光), sales manager at Harvest Technology Group (豐禾科技), a manufacturer of small flat-screen televisions for cars and trucks. "There are certainly a lot fewer overseas visitors. I think it is because of SARS."
PHOTO: CHU PEI-HSIUNG, TAIPEI TIMES
Foreign exhibitors dropped by 72 percent on the first day of the show yesterday compared to last year, according to organizers the China External Trade Development Council (CETRA). Only 263 braved the show this year compared to 962 last year.
Exhibitors were nevertheless upbeat.
"I have met lots of new customers and have been very busy," said David Cheng (
Another exhibitor, however, said she had met some foreigners.
"It's been quite busy," said Maggie Tsai (
Tsai is looking for large retailers and shopping channels to market her products. Visitors to the show can snap up the "Dreamate" sleep-aid for NT$3,300.
Last year more than 30,000 visitors to Taitronics Spring saw electronics and flat-panel products from 550 exhibitors in 1,065 booths. This year that figure dropped to 400 exhibitors in 700 booths.
Although touted as an international show, Taitronics Spring attracted only 2,614 foreign buyers last year, which was a record, according to CETRA. The nation's largest exhibition -- Computex Taipei -- attracts more than 20,000 visitors from overseas.
Other smart devices include a wireless panic button on a key ring that can be activated discreetly during a bank raid. A firm press with two fingers on either side of the device alerts a central office or police station of a security breach.
"This system is very popular," said Leo Chen (
Travelers who need to recharge their mobile phones but don't have a plug adapter for their electric charger will welcome a battery charger from Li Ling Co (
Last year, electronics exports topped US$48 billion, according to CETRA. Taiwan makes 39 percent of the world's computer displays, 49 percent of all notebook computers, and 58 percent of all PC cameras, CETRA figures show.
In addition to components and electronics, three competing digital television service providers jostled for position on the show floor.
Multimedia on Demand from Chunghwa Telecom Co (
"We're here mainly because the competition is here," said Kent Ma (
The show runs through Tuesday. Tickets cost NT$200 at the door.
EXTRATERRITORIAL REACH: China extended its legal jurisdiction to ban some dual-use goods of Chinese origin from being sold to the US, even by third countries Beijing has set out to extend its domestic laws across international borders with a ban on selling some goods to the US that applies to companies both inside and outside China. The new export control rules are China’s first attempt to replicate the extraterritorial reach of US and European sanctions by covering Chinese products or goods with Chinese parts in them. In an announcement this week, China declared it is banning the sale of dual-use items to the US military and also the export to the US of materials such as gallium and germanium. Companies and people overseas would be subject to
Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co (TSMC, 台積電) founder Morris Chang (張忠謀) yesterday said that Intel Corp would find itself in the same predicament as it did four years ago if its board does not come up with a core business strategy. Chang made the remarks in response to reporters’ questions about the ailing US chipmaker, once an archrival of TSMC, during a news conference in Taipei for the launch of the second volume of his autobiography. Intel unexpectedly announced the immediate retirement of former chief executive officer Pat Gelsinger last week, ending his nearly four-year tenure and ending his attempts to revive the
WORLD DOMINATION: TSMC’s lead over second-placed Samsung has grown as the latter faces increased Chinese competition and the end of clients’ product life cycles Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co (TSMC, 台積電) retained the No. 1 title in the global pure-play wafer foundry business in the third quarter of this year, seeing its market share growing to 64.9 percent to leave South Korea’s Samsung Electronics Co, the No. 2 supplier, further behind, Taipei-based TrendForce Corp (集邦科技) said in a report. TSMC posted US$23.53 billion in sales in the July-September period, up 13.0 percent from a quarter earlier, which boosted its market share to 64.9 percent, up from 62.3 percent in the second quarter, the report issued on Monday last week showed. TSMC benefited from the debut of flagship
TENSE TIMES: Formosa Plastics sees uncertainty surrounding the incoming Trump administration in the US, geopolitical tensions and China’s faltering economy Formosa Plastics Group (台塑集團), Taiwan’s largest industrial conglomerate, yesterday posted overall revenue of NT$118.61 billion (US$3.66 billion) for last month, marking a 7.2 percent rise from October, but a 2.5 percent fall from one year earlier. The group has mixed views about its business outlook for the current quarter and beyond, as uncertainty builds over the US power transition and geopolitical tensions. Formosa Plastics Corp (台灣塑膠), a vertically integrated supplier of plastic resins and petrochemicals, reported a monthly uptick of 15.3 percent in its revenue to NT$18.15 billion, as Typhoon Kong-rey postponed partial shipments slated for October and last month, it said. The
RSS