Slideshow: The last Computex?

Robert Hollingsworth

The Computex exhibit was bustling, but like most exhibitions that compete with the Internet to show the latest gizmos, most of the action at this show remains in the hotel suites where the deals get done. TAIPEI, Taiwan -- The best part about Computex exhibition is that it is here in Taiwan, where life and philosophy intertwine in a very unique way.

For example, this statue outside the Nangang Exhibit Hall on the outskirts of Taipei City depicts the connection between humanity and the heavens. It also avoids emphasizing the ephemeral nature of technologies and devices on display at Computex and instead focuses on a timeless concept which will outlive any event or technology.

Which brings us to what I call “The Last Computex”-- maybe not this year, but based on history, even this successful annual event will inevitably come to an end. As with some of its predecessors like COMDEX, Computex will lose its luster. There were signs during this year’s event that the demise of Computex might come sooner rather than later.

As the Taiwan-based PC industry grapples with the disruptive impact of smartphones, tablets and other mobile devices, there was little if anything on the show floor that was new, different or disruptive. These days, disruptive technology tends to reside in software. The challenge for Taiwan’s ODMs is bringing competitive value to the ultrabook form factor that is now over four years old. Whether or not the release of Windows 8 (translated into Mandarin, 8 means “prosperity”) will redirect consumers away from the hand-held devices also is a stretch.

Still, attendance on Day 1 of the Computex show was high.

Big promises

And promises of revolutionary product offerings were reflected in taglines on both the Asus and Intel booths.

While the Asus tagline seems consistent with its constant efforts at differentiation, the statement from Intel could more accurately be read as “sponsors of yesterday” since it has dominated the computing ecosystem for decades. Still, both are being aspirational, so never either count out. If manufacturing the smallest, fastest processors is the key to success, as Intel repeats constantly, then it will remain relevant if not dominant.

Speaking of tomorrow, it is apparent that Intel is gaining some traction with Thunderbolt.

But the commentary here is misleading. With a Thunderbolt cable costing 20 times what a USB cable costs, not counting the unique Intel silicon required on both ends, it seems users should get a lot more benefit than just a doubling of speed. But speed is easy to sell.

Meanwhile, Asus seems to be successful in delivering on their pitch, as evidenced in their latest generation “Transformer” mobile platform series.

Instead of fighting the tablet form factor, Asus seems to be saying, Why not incorporate it in a solution which offers traditional functionality as well as touch-based portable and visual computing?

When compared to gaming’s share of the PC market, the allocation of floor space at Computex would lead one to believe its 25 percent of the total market.

Gaming

Everything from a super cooling chassis to $1,000 graphics adapters that generate so much heat that they nearly catch fire are standard fare in the gaming sectors.

Surprisingly, there was little mention here of the Chinese Astrology Year of the Dragon, which is always a potent cultural symbol. One would have expected that theme to be a big part of Computex. The award for the best representation of The Year of the Dragon goes to ECS, which integrated the dragon symbol into its booth focused on the high performance computing for competitive gaming.

Finally, apologies to the Taiwan External Trade Development Council for predicting the eventual demise of Computex. This is likely to happen sooner rather than later if the trade group continues to fill exhibit halls with products that are readily available from other sources. The fact is that the real action here continues to be in private suites in local hotels, making the exhibits increasingly irrelevant. You may as well go to Fry’s or Best Buy, or simply search the Internet.

But then you would miss the chance to visit Taiwan, where Stan Shih and other electronics pioneers changed our world when they figured out how to make computing available to all by selling more for less. That vision is now coming true in ways that no one could have ever imagined.

Computex needs to evolve accordingly.