Hardware expo dates to diarise

Hardware expos are an important part of the technology industry, offering developers and companies a chance to show their latest developments off to the press and public. From new technologies to hardware demonstrations to discussion panels, the following expos have it all and are worth jotting down in your dairy:

Consumer Electronics Show (CES)

A trade show that keeps the unwashed masses out and the journalists in – CES ran from 10 to 13 January 2012.

The first stop on the hardware calendar, CES takes place in the Las Vegas Convention Centre, and has been running since 1967.

The VCR, compact discs and the Nintendo Entertainment System were all unveiled at CES, along with a host of other technologies across a range of market segmetns. The Razer Blade was announced as CES this year, along with OLED TVs from both Samsung and LG. So were a range of robots that can sketch pictures and dance as soon as the music starts.

Other standout events from CES included Intel and AMD showing off their latest CPUs, and Microsoft announcing that CES 2012 would be its last expo.

CES expo

CeBIT

The largest computer expo in the world, CeBIT takes place in Hanover, Germany from 6 to 10 March 2012. The expo features an exhibition area of around 450,000 square metres. The show has recorded up to 850,000 visitors at the height of it’s success.

CeBIT features exhibitors such as Nokia, Motorola, and IBM, and covers four technology focus areas, including professional ICT solutions, public sector ICT solution, ICT research and innovation, and ICT solutions for the digital lifestyle.

The show had it’s share of controversy in 2008, when proceedings were interrupted by police raids on 51 of the exhibitors for alleged patent infringement.

CeBIT expo

Computex

Computex recently took place at the Taipei World Trade Centre in Taiwan, from 5 to 9 June 2012.

The event has run since 1981, and is now the second largest event of it’s kind in the world (after CeBIT). A host of international manufacturers including Intel, AMD and Nvidia show off their latest wares, while Taiwanese brands such as Acer and Asus often show off products including laptops and motherboards.

AMD debuted their high end HD7990 dual GPU graphics card at this years event.