Computer, consumer electronic and communication (3C) companies expect to see sales increase 20 percent to 30 percent at IT Month, the largest consumer 3C fair in the second half of the year.
“We polled the participating firms before the opening of the expo, and most said they were expecting up to a 30 percent increase in sales at this year’s fair,” said Enoch Du (杜全昌), secretary-general of Taipei Computer Association (TCA, 台北市電腦公會), which organizes the fair.
“Last year’s show was hit by the lingering effects of the financial crisis, so we are more upbeat about the fair’s performance this year,” he said, adding that because of the improved economy, consumers will be willing to pay more for green products, such as energy-efficient LED TVs.
PHOTO: CHEN PING-HUNG, TAIPEI TIMES
Some 350 companies are taking part in this year’s IT Month and requested 2,200 booths.
However, Du said only 1,765 booths were available because of limited floor space.
TCA expects the show to attract 850,000 visitors this year, which would be a record. About 810,000 visitors attended the 3C show last year, up 6.6 percent from 760,000 in 2008.
Asustek Computer Inc (華碩電腦) general manager Kevin Lin (林福能) said the company always views IT Month as a major year-end event that can boost sales.
“We aim to increase sales by 30 percent this year,” he said.
Asustek is offering 200 of it’s Eee Notes product at the fair, with the 4-gigabyte model selling for NT$6,999 and the 16-gigabyte for NT$8,999.
Touted as the “Kindle [Amazon.com Inc’s e-reader] for the Chinese-speaking world,” the Eee Note is a pad device that allows users to scribble handwritten notes.
Users can turn to the next page within 0.4 seconds, compared with the industry average speed of 1 second per page, Asustek said.
The 8-inch Eee Note also comes with a recording function and has a two-megapixel camera, enabling executives to record business meetings or take pictures of visual presentations.
Another attention-grabbing gadget at the show is Candy Music, a small, ball-shaped loudspeaker device that has recently gained in popularity in Japan.
Candy Music uses vibration conducting technology, which allows vibrations passing through an object to produce sound.
It does not require a battery and can be plugged into a media player, like an iPod, with the adhesive Candy Music body able to be attached to any object, such as a tissue box, a carton or an aluminum empty can.
These objects are thereby transformed into a portable loudspeaker. Using objects with different materials creates different musical experiences. The gadget is selling for NT$1,288 at the show.
For those eager to take a sneak peek at PC tablets, Samsung Electronics Co is officially selling the Galaxy Tab, a much-touted 7-inch tablet that saw 600,000 units snapped up within three weeks of its launch in South Korea.
Its price tag is NT$25,900.
IT Month opened on Saturday at Taipei World Trade Center Exhibition Halls 1 and 3, and closes on Sunday.
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