•Publication Date：06/04/2013
•Source： Taiwan Today
Computex Taipei, the world’s second biggest information and communications technology show and seen as a bellwether of the global ICT industry, opened June 4 larger than ever, organizer Taiwan External Trade Development Council (TAITRA) said.
The number of preregistered foreign buyers is up 10 percent over last year, with a record 38,000 purchasers expected for the five-day show, placing orders estimated at US$25 billion, TAITRA said.
Computex now requires four major Taipei City exhibition halls to hold the 1,724 manufacturers with more than 5,000 stalls. The show draws together the elite of domestic and international ICT firms as they offer the latest products and technology, and sales are closely watched for clues to the global industry’s second-half performance and future direction. Main themes at this year’s show are touch enabled applications, smart mobility and cloud technology and services.
The Computex d&i Awards, organized jointly with Germany-based design body International Forum and seen as a major showcase for innovative products, have this year drawn record participation of 254 entries submitted by 101 companies, up 24 percent and 16 percent, respectively, TAITRA said.
Major ICT makers such as Acer Inc., Advanced Micro Devices Inc., AsusTek Computer Inc. and Delta Electronics Inc. presented their latest products at the opening news conference June 3. Intel Inc. and Microsoft Inc. will hold major forums and product release events.
The exhibition is also an important venue for major retailers to place orders, and the 1,800 one-on-one buyer-vendor meetings scheduled this year are almost double last year’s 1,000. Australia-New Zealand retailer Harvey Norman is making its first appearance. Retailing stalwarts such as Germany-based Medion AG and Siemens AG, Turkey-based household appliance maker Arcelik AS and cell phone operator Turkcell, and U.S.-based Best Buy Co. Inc. and Staples Inc. will also be present, TAITRA added.
Idealez, a business-to-business ICT Internet platform launched by TAITRA in January to facilitate international sales, will also feature a section promoting high-tech products on display at this year’s Computex.
