IoT Hot, Apple Watch + Win 10 Not At Computex 2015

Several people I have spoken to on the ground here in Taipei believe that the Apple Watch will not be as successful as Apple and some analysts are making out and that the current range of Apple Watches are “early technology”.

 Analysts have also said that they do not believe that Windows 10 will be as successful as Microsoft wants it to be and that consumers will desert the OS in favour of Google Chrome and iOS from Apple if Microsoft starts charging for services and software on the OS. 

“While there was a lot of noise about Apple’s Apple Watch in terms of demand and supply, we are positive about the wearable device market,” William Chen JPMorgan Securities Ltd analysts said.

JPMorgan forecast the market value of wearable devices, which range from smart watches, smart bracelets to smart glasses and even smart garments, would grow to US$40 billion by 2020.


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International Data Corp (IDC) is predicting that global wearable device shipments would hit 45.70 million units this year, with smart wrist wear devices accounting for about 90 percent of total shipments, compared with 19.60 million units last year.

Visitors for this year’s Computex are expected to see manufacturers’ innovative new hardware components for wearable devices, such as force touch, wireless charge and voice control, Chen said.

Acer’s IoT products at the fair include the abPBX-plus series communication network for business, the aBeing One minicomputer and abTouchPhone, which is a desk phone with a built-in Android tablet.

The company’s three Liquid Leap smart wristbands – which monitor wearers’ heartbeat and notify them of incoming calls and texts – are also to be displayed.

Asustek Computers (ASUS) will exhibit its second-generation ZenWatch and the health-oriented VivoWatch, as well as new smartphones and notebook products, including its 2-1 detachable notebooks.
Microsoft will display a wide range of PC-related products powered by the company’s new operating system, Windows 10, which it hopes will help stimulate PC demand.

However, CIMB Securities Ltd does not believe Microsoft’s new operating system is likely to have the magic to trigger a replacement wave.

“We believe it is risky to bet on Windows 10 because in the previous cycles, Windows 7 and Windows 8 did not stimulate strong upgrade demand,” CIMB analyst Wang Wanli said.

Analysts believe that Microsoft’s move to start giving away an OS in an effort to charge “for just about everything” that runs on it will backfire.

Commenting on Intel upcoming new Skylake CPU, which is expected to be launched in August, Wang said it is hard to convince consumers to replace their PCs just because of a new, more powerful CPU.

Computex Taipei opens tomorrow and runs through Saturday at the Taipei World Trade Centre’s (TWTC) Hall 1, Hall 2 and Nangang Exhibition Hall as well as the Taipei International Convention Centre.