Asia's biggest ICT procurement exhibition and the world's second largest show is set to kick off today and run for the next five days, and Computex Taipei 2014 is expected to highlight a wide variety of IT products and solutions, from the latest mobile devices and computer peripherals, to the newest developments in the wireless and wearable arenas, as well as an increased number of technology demonstrations that extend the reach of Computex to more wearable applications and smart solutions, such as 3D printing and medical technology.
　　According to the Taipei Computer Association (TCA), the co-organizer of Computex, this year's event will feature 1,700 exhibitors using 5,000 booths, with first time exhibitors including MediaTek, XYZ Printing and Taiwan Textile Research Institute (TTRI). More than 38,000 overseas buyers will be visiting the show this year.
　　In order to help organize the show into manageable sections, TCA indicated there will be five different special industry focuses at Computex Taipei 2014, namely smart technologies, mobile computing, transformer 2-in-1 tablets, touch display and smart wearable products. TCA also announced that it has developed a Computex+ App for download for iOS, Android and Windows Phone 8 devices that allows international buyers to browse through featured exhibitors, manage product offerings, forums and even traffic information, while navigating the show through the use of mapping and cloud services.
　　Computex gets smart
　　Smart devices are expected to be a hot trend at Computex Taipei this year, with TCA indicating visitors should direct themselves to Hall 3 to discover how companies are taking advantage of this trend. Smart technologies will cover a wide range of industries and applications and include 3D printing, wearable devices, display technology, medical and health care applications, security solutions, intelligent vehicle systems, energy supply management, education, cloud applications and Internet of Things (IoT). Companies and organizations including XYZ Printing, TTRI, Industrial Technology Research Institute (ITRI), Innovative DigiTech-Enabled Applications & Services Institute (IDEAS), Digital-Can Tech, Brickcom, Mtech, GeoVision, Unitech Computer, E Ink Holdings, ChipSip Technology, Habook Information, LiMix Technology, A-Tec Subsystem, StarVedia Technology, Amaryllo International, Apollo Power Technology, Jector Digital System, and Aurotak will be highlighting their featured solutions and offering one-stop OEM/ODM procurement for international buyers.
　　According to Digitimes Research analyst Luke Lin, the Internet of Things (IoT), especially for wearables, will be a hot topic when it comes to smart devices this year. MediaTek will be participating at Computex for the first time this year and the company will host a press conference early in the show to roll out its solutions for wearable devices. Broadcom will also be highlighting its support for wearables through its WICED (pronounced wicked) Smart line of products that provide wireless connectivity to embedded devices. Broadcom's latest products feature support for increased security, wireless charging and iBeacon technology for better device detection and identity. The company is targeting applications such as smart watches that monitor a patient's health and quickly send medical data to the cloud in a secure manner.
　　IT is still big
　　Computex is still about the IT industry and during Computex, Intel, Microsoft, AMD, Broadcom, Nvidia and Qualcomm are expected to introduce several new products. Intel and AMD will be displaying new processors for entry-level tablets, transformer notebooks, ultra-thin and light notebooks, gaming notebooks and desktops. Nvidia will be introducing its next-generation graphic card chip to grab the attention of the high-end gaming market, while its Tegra K1 SoC will target the telematics market and embedded system and application market. Microsoft will present its annual keynote focusing on business opportunities and customer value on June 4. Nike Parker, Microsoft corporate vice president for OEM division will elaborate on Microsoft strategies and highlight products such as smartphones, tablets, notebooks, multi-functional computers and smart system developed by Microsoft and its partners.
　　According to Digitimes Research analyst Jim Hsiao, Microsoft will be featuring its second-generation entry-level Windows-based detachable products at Computex and visitors should pay attention to the company's 7-inch entry-level tablets, which Microsoft is cooperating with Intel on. These products are expected have the potential to enable China's white-box players to expand their product offerings even further.
　　On the tablet side, Microsoft is expected to highlight its improved touch-control version of Office but the company will still be competing with enhanced offerings from the Android market. Hsiao noted that the Android tablet market will be an exciting topic at Computex. Branded Intel (Bay Trail) on Android tablets will make an appearance and the market is excited to see the progress of Intel's 64bit kernel for Android tablets vs. the performance Nvidia's 64bit solutions as well.
　　Hsiao added that the sub-CNY800 (US$128) market for branded and white-box tablets with phone functionality will be in the spotlight as well at Computex, as a lot of models are expected to be exhibited.
　　Asustek and Acer
　　With Asustek and Acer being the biggest system providers in Taiwan, the spotlight always shines on them at Computex. Both Asustek and Acer will be highlighting smartphones, tablets and PCs, but the companies are taking a slightly different approaching to the changing dynamics in the IT industry. According to Digitimes Research director Joanne Chen, we can expect to see more design highlights from Asustek. The vendor will probably highlight an expanded T100 (detachable) product lineup, maybe with larger screen sizes or with different price points. Asustek may showcase more convertible products as well, much like Lenovo has done with its Yoga notebook. Chien also wonders if Asustek will showcase a new Zenphone at the show.
　　Acer, on the other hand, is shifting a bit of its focus to the cloud. The company recently launched its BYOC (build your own cloud) service and this should be a major area of focus for Acer at Computex this year. Chien added though, both Acer and Asustek will put a spotlight on wearable devices this year, as will most other major solution providers.
　　Storage and displays
　　As usual, Computex will showcase the most up-to-date peripherals and components, with the ongoing theme being lower power, higher volumes and increased speed and bandwidth. Computex should have its share of storage devices that feature 4K2K ultra-speed memory cards, micro-SSDs and industrial SSDs, and DDR4 DRAM. However, Digitimes analyst Nobunaga Chain pointed out that storage may not be the most exciting area this year, as SATA III has already become the basic transmission standard for SSD products in 2014. Chai did note that SSD capacity has risen to 512GB and 1TB, and while reading speeds of 540-560MB/s are not much of an improvement, writing speeds have risen significantly to 510MB/s.
　　On the other hand, Digitimes Research analyst Jason Yang noted that there should be a number of new display showcases that interest Computex visitors. For touch panels, new technologies such as metal mesh and silver nanowire may be a focus of touch panel makers. Large-size projected capacitive touch panels are likely to be showcased as well with some technology breakthroughs being highlighted. In the projector market, micro projectors, 3D projects, education projector-equipped tablets and wearable applications are expected to be in the spotlight.
　　Computex awards
　　The Best Choice Award for this year's Computex show went to the Asustek ROG Desktop G20. The eight companies that won Golden Awards were invited to attend the open ceremony of Computex Taipei 2014, but Asustek was able to walk away with the top prize. TCA noted that there were 183 companies that submitted 477 products to participate in the Best Choice competition this year, representing an increase of 8% compared to last year and setting a historic high in the 13 years of the competition. In addition, with the ICT industry moving toward mobility, cloud computing and smart life, six new categories were added to the BC Award 2014 competition, including gaming entertainment, touch display, cloud applications, mobile device, wearables and smart technologies.
　　TCA signified that all winning products are showcased at the BC Award Pavilion (Booth No I0307, Nangang Exhibition Hall) under the topics of commercial applications, gaming entertainment and smart life. TCA noted that it is hosting several "Tech Sweeties" to introduce and demonstrate winning products for international buyers at the pavilion.