Computex is, by far, the most relevant trade show for the computer hardware enthusiast. While that is a bold statement the fact of the matter is, Taiwan is the center when it comes to computer hardware with every major hardware vendor having their headquarters there. The show started as a sales tool to attract international buyers. On the show floor you could see everything the company had to offer and have sales people ready to answer questions and take their orders.
Over the years, the show has silently morphed from a sales powerhouse to a marketing spectacle. While sales contacts are still made during Computex the importance has shifted away from sales to focus on promotion and brand image. You can still see products on display but, most are used to reinforce a message and attract international media to help spread the word.
Sadly, this has also brought with it a number of detractors. As a hardware media representative, it is important for me to see “new” products and, in the early years of Computex it was important for the hardware makers to have new products on display and ready to ship. However, with the shift in focus we also have a shift in the product release cycle, no longer are new products launched during Computex, in fact, not a single vendor has anything new to show.
Well, that might be a little to harsh, there was plenty of new things on display, they just had already launched. Case in point the 20th anniversary ROG Crosshair 2006 edition motherboard was on display along with a retro inspired casemod.
In addition to the lack of “new”, I have also seen the rise of marketable celebrities, aka Nvidia’s Jensen. This guy is a rockstar in Taiwan and he started doing a “baby kissing” tour where he would visit the various hardware partners to sign halo products and make the various execs look good. In addition, the Taiwan government has gotten behind this to not only support Jensen but also use Computex as a stage to reinforce the importance of Taiwan industry.
While this sounds great it royally sucks for anyone attending Computex for any real business reason.
Episode 182 featured music:
Little People - Start Shootin' (http://www.littlepeoplemusic.com/)
