Windows 10, Wearables, Internet Wizardry To Converge At Taipei Show

It’s hard to tell this year and last year apart by looking at headline figures for Computex Taipei, the world’s second largest computer show. Around 5,000 stalls at the show that opens June 2 will flog everything from new laptops to Internet-based schemes to make home appliances run on their own, a lot like last year. Wearable devices will be a leading theme again, likewise the Internet of things and computing hardware of all speeds, weights and prices. Organizers expect 130,000 visitors, again the same as last year.

But Computex 2014 and 2015 are not clones. Here are three new things to look for:

Wearable devices and not just a few smart bands

The 46 wearable device exhibits won’t cover just wrist bands that monitor heart rates during exercise as they once did. Because Apple has already released its first smart watch and is forecast to take an eventual 55% of cross-brand market share, some Taiwanese companies – leading the overall show with 3,000 stalls – will instead promote smart glasses and smart apparel. The glasses might take off since Google has suspended its version, which was a precursor to the whole smart wearable trend. Things that you can attach to your body this year will also come with better smartphone connectivity.

Stronger sensors for the Internet-of-things

Advances in sensory devices, including chips made by Taiwan-based Advanced Semiconductor Engineering , will underpin this year's Internet of Things displays. The Internet of things refers to people's wireless communication with objects such as cars and houses and will headline about a third of this year's show spaces. Developers will model Internet-secured homes and ways for drivers to talk from car to car without mobile phones. “Two cars can communicate, and it won’t cause a crash,” says Thomas Huang, deputy exhibition executive director with the Computex organizer Taiwan External Trade Development Council.

See how Windows 10 will actually work

Microsoft , which earned a mixed reputation for Windows 8, will model its next operating system on devices displayed at Computex, the organizer says. That system, Windows 10, is supposed to run devices across the scale from desktops to smartphones. It would come with an Edge browser that cuts and edits content and a human-like personal assistant app named Cortana. Windows 8 was supposed to cross devices, as well, but it ended up favoring  touchscreen notebooks. Users were also miffed by 8’s lack of the classic Microsoft start menu and popular pre-installed apps. Window 10 is due on the market later this year. “Lots of interest obviously around Windows 10 and its new features and capabilities, so I’m sure this will be a packed house,” says Craig Stice, senior principal analyst with industry research firm IHS Technology.