Date
Author
Сергей ПОТРЕСОВ; Ганновер--Москва
Source
Preserved copy
Translated material
"The very best"
Russia acted as a partner of the IT show in Hannover
For the first time in twenty years of the existence of the annual CeBIT exhibition, Russia received the status of a partner country and launched a truly large-scale exhibition in Hannover. Dozens of IT companies were represented at the central stand, and several of the largest exhibitors, such as Kaspersky Lab and telecommunications companies, rented exhibition space on their own.For Russia, which in Germany is known primarily as a supplier of natural gas, CeBIT-2007 became an opportunity to demonstrate the capabilities of the high-tech industry. As Minister of Information Technologies and Communications Leonid Reiman said in his speech, in 2006 the volume of exports of Russian IT products and communication services exceeded $1.5 billion, and by 2010, as the industry leader expects, it will grow to $10 billion.
The opening ceremony of the CeBIT-2007 exhibition took place with the participation of German Chancellor Angela Merkel and Deputy Prime Minister of the Russian Government Sergei Naryshkin.
Externally, the main Russian stand left a favorable impression. Inside, however, the entire area is filled with large boards with slides, turning the huge area of the stand into a labyrinth. Apparently, some visitors were afraid to go inside and get lost. A noticeable part of the exposition are models and descriptions of Russian technology parks, which play an important role in expanding Russia’s international cooperation in the IT field. It was difficult to demonstrate other achievements of the industry regulator, such as tax incentives for software companies operating for export, at the stand. At CeBIT, by the way, the association of software manufacturers Russoft announced a 40 percent increase in sales (up to $1 billion 400 million) based on the results of 2006.
CeBIT works mainly for professionals, but there is also something for the non-specialist to see. Every major manufacturer strives to bring to Hannover as many new products that excite the buyer as possible. My favorite exhibition term is “the very best”. The world's largest LCD TV (108 inches diagonal, Sharp), the most productive server (IBM), the most “musical” phone (i.e. multimedia player with telephone function, Sony Ericsson), the most powerful ultraportable computer (Samsung) .
There are also unexpected new items. At the Toshiba stand there are actually working (finally!) fuel cells for laptops and pocket computers. A printer that allows you to quickly “print” (i.e. cast) any three-dimensionally designed part from a special synthetic material (Stratasys company). The Austrian Emporia, which produces special mobile phones for the elderly (the master of this small but win-win market), sells handsets for prices starting from 200 euros. Large manufacturers have no time for this; they are not interested in small print runs. Although changes for the better are planned - Samsung has entered this market.