Although it faced a lot of criticism at the beginning, many industry and media opinions also believed that Computex 2016 did not have any major highlights. Perhaps to some extent, they actually missed some key points or simply focused on the wrong direction.
The annual Computex officially ended earlier. The organizer, the Taiwan External Trade Development Council, said that the five-day exhibition attracted a total of 5 information and communications technology industry professionals from 177 countries. At the same time, the source countries of buyers increased by 4% compared with last year, and the number of buyers also increased by 969%. Most buyers came from China, Japan, the United States, Hong Kong and South Korea.
It's undeniable that this year's Computex was somewhat impacted in terms of both exhibition scale and exhibitor lineup compared to previous years. For example, the Grand Hyatt Hotel typically rents out a significant number of rooms for exhibitions, but this year's figures have decreased significantly. Furthermore, companies like Intel have chosen to relocate their exhibitions to the International Convention Center, impacting the content on display at the Nangang Exhibition Hall.
In reality, however, the biggest factor influencing the market is the shifting industry trends, which in turn impacts new product launch schedules and marketing strategies. For example, in the past, manufacturers were often restricted by new specifications for processors and graphics cards, forcing them to wait for major component suppliers like Intel, Nvidia, and AMD to release their products. However, in recent years, to avoid diluting the impact of new product promotions, manufacturers have opted to hold independent product announcements outside of Computex.
Acer, for example, used to unveil new products before Computex 2016, but in recent years has shifted its focus to earlier product launches in New York, or to unveiling new products in Taiwan before Computex. Furthermore, most manufacturers have also concentrated on showcasing new products on or before the show itself. Therefore, with the exception of ASUS, which still maintains a pre-Computex announcement schedule, most manufacturers typically hold back on major public announcements during Computex, focusing solely on on-site exhibits.
Many manufacturers choose to announce new products before Computex begins. This is not because they believe Computex has lost its product promotion advantages, but rather because they hope to gain more exposure before the show begins and attract more business matchmaking opportunities after the show begins.
But here's where the problem arises. Typically, domestic and international media coverage concentrates on the period leading up to the official launch, and on the first and second days. After the third or fourth day, only a handful of media outlets are still on-site or conducting additional interviews. Furthermore, many media outlets, such as television stations, still prioritize visual presentations, and due to limited time for interviews and production, they often prioritize more prominent brands or content that intuitively captures the main theme and is engaging and easy to understand. This often results in many key projects being overlooked.
This is why, after Computex this year, most people only knew about news like ASUS unveiling its first interactive robot, Zenbo, Intel's new 10-core processor, Microsoft's first HoloLens display in Taiwan, and the various virtual reality applications that filled the exhibition area. However, they overlooked the fact that ARM chose Taiwan to debut its Cortex-A73 processor design, Qualcomm's desire to expand cooperation with Taiwanese manufacturers to build 5G networking technology, and Intel's desire to create a new network architecture layout with Foxconn. Because this information is often not "favored" by most Taiwanese mass media, they often overlook why these manufacturers are increasingly focusing on cooperating with Taiwanese resources.
Ultimately, a bigger factor lies in the fact that Computex 2016 itself is positioned as a business exhibition. Even though the organizers opened tickets to the general public on the last day, the focus was on the first four days to allow exhibitors and buyers to interact and connect with each other, thereby promoting larger market transactions. However, too many "opinions" equate it with a general consumer computer show, and even comment on whether Computex should be canceled based solely on existing media reports.
Compared to more well-known international trade shows like CES, MWC, and IFA, Computex is positioned more towards connecting Taiwan's local technology, production, and other resources. This is why core hardware and software manufacturers like Intel, Microsoft, ARM, and Qualcomm place great importance on Taiwan. However, influenced by market trends and other factors, Computex, which previously focused on the PC industry, has faced numerous challenges. Since 2014, Computex has been gradually transforming and developing, particularly by leveraging Taiwan's technological R&D and foundry production capabilities with various startups. This year's InnoVEX Innovation and Startup Zone has attracted considerable attention and discussion.
Therefore, for many core manufacturers, Computex remains a very important exhibition event. It can even drive more exhibitors and buyers to form diversified collaborations, thereby driving more significant industry development. It is by no means possible to judge whether this exhibition event is "boring" based solely on its surface content.
