Taiwanese computer makers’ sales are likely to improve in the second half of this year on the back of launches of new tablet computers, the Taipei Computer Association (台北市電腦公會) said yesterday.
“Sales in the first half of the year were a bit disappointing as a result of the economic situation in Europe and the declining worldwide notebook market,” association deputy director-general Chang Li (張笠) said.
“However, companies are flexible in adjusting their production to manufacturing tablets, which are popular in emerging markets because of their low prices and reliable quality,” Chang said at the sidelines of the opening ceremony of the annual Computex trade fair.
Photo: Mandy Cheng, AFP
Chang said the nation’s information technology industry will remain competitive because of the extensive supply-chain companies in Taiwan, on which competing Apple, Android and Windows camps have relied to complete their products.
Taiwanese companies respond quicker to the latest trends than Japanese companies.
In addition, they are more innovative and do not have as many patent problems as their Chinese counterparts, Chang said.
Furthermore, as South Korean companies are developing their own brands, other companies are more cautious when doing business with them because they might have to compete with South Korean companies in the future, he said.
According to the association, in addition to the 1,724 exhibitors at this year’s Computex, there are 200 more companies in Taiwan that are looking to participate in the show.
“The extensive supply chains of 2,000 design houses and manufacturers in Taiwan are the nation’s strongest point,” Chang said.
Walter Yeh (葉明水), executive vice president of the Taiwan External Trade Development Council (TAITRA, 外貿協會), a co-organizer of Computex, said this year’s show could create sales of US$25 billion, about the same as last year.
The show has attracted 38,000 international buyers, up 10 percent from last year, Yeh said.
According to Yeh, the scale of the exhibition will remain the same until 2016, when more exhibition centers are set to open.
Computex will be run from today through Saturday at the Taipei World Trade Center (TWTC) Nangang Exhibition Hall in Nangang District (南港) and TWTC Exhibition Hall in Xinyi District (信義).
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