The Computex IT show in Taipei last week used a lot of scantily clad young women as well as pen, mouse-pad and mini-soccer ball giveaways to hype what amounted to incremental improvements in a range of digital devices.As with other IT shows so far this year, Computex didn’t offer the kind of killer application or hardware that people are used to from the tech world. Part of the reason is that the show is based in Taiwan, where contract manufacturers show off what’s going to be on store shelves in the next six months. Many companies aren’t trying to stand out with a prototype aimed at catching users’ attention or at offering a view of what might be possible five years down the road.Another reason is that, of the new gadgets users will see in stores within the next several months, many are variations of what’s already available, or just a slight improvement over existing products.Mobile phones with GPS, pocket-sized TV sets, memory sticks with small screens powered by a solar panel, and tiny PCs were the kind of products on show at Computex. While these are all nice devices, none of them had the power to grab the imagination in a way that would pull people out to stores. It’s an affliction that the global IT industry has become used to: slow, steady growth in many areas, including the PC and the digital living room, but nothing zesty to set users’ hearts racing. “We find improvements in technologies and products, but left the show concluding that [the second half of this year] will lack hot products,” said Dan Heyler, a research analyst for Merrill Lynch & Co. in Hong Kong, in a report on Monday. What’s more, even trends that companies suggest are just around the corner are actually still years away, such as the digital home. Heyler believes the IT industry is moving in the right direction, but says it will still take a year or two to bring together hardware, delivery systems and content to make the digital home a reality.Computex only reinforced the idea that most of the coolest technologies (fuel cells to power laptops or WiMax, for example), won’t be out for years. We already know the living room is being transformed by liquid crystal display TVs and digital entertainment systems that store songs and videos in a hard drive. IPods, BlackBerrys, TiVos, Xbox 360s and third-generation handsets are all neat products, but they’re already old news in the world of IT.Gadget enthusiasts would certainly have found fun items at Computex, such as Acer prototype laptops with built-in HD-DVD drives, and one with a huge, 20.4-inch screen. But despite such clever devices, very little smacked of the “Wow!” that really shakes people.Maybe that’s just a sign of the times. Life-changing gadgets will no doubt still come from the digital revolution. But currently, we’re in a period of incremental improvements to what’s already out there.As Gary Lin, marketing manager at Iwill, said: “It’s the digital evolution. There’s no more revolution.”-Dan Nystedt, IDG News Service (Taipei Bureau) Check out our CIO News Alerts and Tech Informer pages for more updated news coverage. Related content feature 10 most popular IT certifications for 2023 Certifications are a great way to show employers you have the right IT skills and specializations for the job. These 10 certs are the ones IT pros are most likely to pursue, according to data from Dice. By Sarah K. White May 26, 2023 8 mins Certifications Careers interview Stepping up to the challenge of a global conglomerate CIO role Dr. Amrut Urkude became CIO of Reliance Polyester after his company was acquired by Reliance Industries. He discusses challenges IT leaders face while transitioning from a small company to a large multinational enterprise, and how to overcome them. By Yashvendra Singh May 26, 2023 7 mins Digital Transformation Careers brandpost With the new financial year looming, now is a good time to review your Microsoft 365 licenses By Veronica Lew May 25, 2023 5 mins Lenovo news Alteryx works in generative AI for speedy analytics results OpenAI integration and AI wizardry for report generation are aimed at making Alteryx’s analytics products more accessible. By Jon Gold May 25, 2023 3 mins Analytics Podcasts Videos Resources Events SUBSCRIBE TO OUR NEWSLETTER From our editors straight to your inbox Get started by entering your email address below. Please enter a valid email address Subscribe