For the third year in a row, I’m in Asia during Comdex, the massive technology trade show. I couldn’t be happier to be absent.
Now, I’m glad to have attended in the past. You can’t begin to understand the industry without going to Comdex at least a couple of times.
I went during the absolute peak of the show’s popularity. Which means I suffered the endless taxi lines, outrageous price gouging for hotel rooms and all of the other garbage for which the show became famous.
But I enjoyed the technology itself. It was always an insight into the state of the industry. I always made a visit to the least-visited pavilion, and then checked out the least-prowled aisles. That’s where I’d tend to find out what the truly hungry entrepreneurs were cooking up.
Apparently the attendance is way down, not just due to terrorism and fear. Maybe that would make Las Vegas more bearable.
Does Comdex still keen insight into the tech world? I’ve read the coverage, and haven’t seen much I didn’t know before.
One reason is the Web. Companies no longer tend to hold their big announcements for November. They go with things when they’re ready, and the rest of the world can find information quickly.
Besides, other shows have become more important as Comdex began to fade. I’ve found the January Consumer Electronics Show to be a great look into the gadgetry, for example, and there’s a host of conferences and shows dedicated to enterprise technology.
Maybe this is all a rationalization. All I know is I’m having an interesting time over here.