Computex 2002: The Bloodbath Begins

A view of some of the Computex booths from the fourth floor of the convention center.

It's hot and muggy in Taipei. It gets even hotter when you are jammed in with hundreds of other people in tightly spaced show floor alleys. This show's floor plan isn't built for the portly, which pretty much discounts most of your average tech journalists. Day one of Computex is upon us.

The world's tallest bulding is rising up alongside Computex. Oh, in case you didn't know, they have earthquakes here, too. Hmmm.

Computex has changed a lot in the last five years. If only in so far as it has gained more prominence in the minds of the average of PC enthusiast. However, it is still, in the main, a trade show, not something put on for the benefit of end users. That means you have to take a lot of what you hear with a grain of salt. Companies are positioning themselves for sales in the fourth quarter, and trying to bind customers to themselves. So, the future is often oversold; many companies will include support and enthusiasm for features in their products, hedging their bets against the possible winners and losers of the future. Or, as is the case with the phony war between USB 2.0 and Firewire, they'll support whatever is going.

The prevalent trasportation mechanism in Taipei is the scooter. Apparently, these vehicles are best ridden with little movement of the head, in case someone should get the idea that you are watching where you are going. They do, however, make fat baby boomers on $30,000 Harleys look shameful.

At Computex, the future is now. If it is coming, everyone is going to have it. And if it isn't there when the time comes? Everyone will have moved on to the next biggest thing. A mobo on display here isn't a mobo in the hand until you see it on a store shelf or at a dealer. Just remember that when you read about all the wonderful things everyone is showing off here.