Macworld|iWorld Asia 2012 Opens in Beijing

BEIJING, Aug. 2, 2012 /PRNewswire-Asia/ -- The Beijing Investment Promotion Bureau and US-based International Data Group jointly announced today the grand opening of Macworld|iWorld Asia 2012, an expo eagerly awaited by Apple fans and by anyone and everyone working within Apple's industry chain for the mobile internet sector, at the China National Convention Center in Beijing. Over 500 companies from more than ten countries attended the "Mobile Internet Leads the Future" themed event. As the largest show for the Apple industry chain in Asia, this year's expo will showcase a full array of new Apple-related peripherals and accessories and lead the discussion concerning the next frontier in the mobile internet sector. By organizing a variety of user events and displaying new products and technology apps, the exhibition will bring an extraordinarily creative experience to mobile app users across Asia.

The world's largest display platform highlights Apple's peripherals and accessories

With innovative applications of wireless technologies and equipment still the highlight of the exhibition hall and with double the number of exhibitors over last year, nearly 40 new products are being released at this year's event. The new releases include acoustics based on Bluetooth and wi-fi technologies, as well as cloud storage products launched by the world's leading storage solution vendors.

With sustained growth in the consumption of Apple's peripherals and accessories, there are plenty of new products for the exhibition visitor to see: a wide array of protective and matched support products including wires, sound boxes, brackets, styluses, adapters, chargers, keyboards and chassis. As for material applications, environmental ideas have been the key focus of recent developments, with several of the new products making use of environmentally safe materials including liquid silicone and aluminum alloys. The expo brings together hundreds of exhibitors from Europe, the U.S., Japan, Korea and Taiwan, all of whom will create new and imaginative user experiences on Macs, iPhones, iPods, iPads and other devices for visitors.

Macworld Expo, since its inception in the U.S. 26 years ago, has been the platform for Apple users worldwide and the place where third-party developers exchange ideas and get their training. In 2012, Macworld Expo was renamed Macworld|iWorld Expo, in response to the rapid growth in the mobile internet industry driven by Apple. The comprehensive exhibition, since its introduction into Beijing, China last year, has been the best platform to showcase the fast development and achievements of China's mobile internet industry. The increase in the size of the event has made the expo the largest event of its kind for showcasing Apple's peripherals and accessories while also reflecting the increasing international influence of China in the Apple ecosystem across Asia.

Defining the next frontier: opportunities in mobile terminals become the focus

"Opportunities in mobile terminals" was a buzzword at forums during the expo, with "Defining the Next Frontier" the theme of extensive discussions on cutting-edge technologies in the mobile internet era and on new ways to realize commercial value and create innovative user experiences at each forum and seminar event including the Summit Forum and Industry Applications Forum, Industrial Design Forum, Photograph Seminar, Video Seminar, Developer Forum and the Mobile Internet Marketing Forum.

At this year's forums, internationally recognized influencers, including computer peripherals global giant Logitech, cloud computing and storage solutions world leader Western Digital, "hardcore" 3D game developer Cmune and Russia's largest mobile content and service provider i-Free, will share their successful experiences. Meanwhile, homegrown Chinese players including UC Mobile, the world's largest mobile browser with over 300 million users, eMotional Touch, a pioneer in mobile game development and marketing, and leading Chinese social networking platforms such as Sina Weibo, Tencent Weibo and Renren as well as Andon Health, a leader in mobile medical applications, will also demonstrate their strong abilities in exploring business opportunities.

Commenting on the features of this year's expo, IDG Asia senior vice president Jennifer Xu said, "The popularity of mobile devices is the most noticeable change of our times, and the resulting business opportunities have become not only one of the growth drivers of traditional industries, but also a starting point for entrepreneurs to realize their dreams. The Macworld|iWorld Asia 2012 will focus on hot topics in the mobile internet industry, and will provide an efficient approach to facilitating the industry's growth as well as exchanges among the industry's players."

The international expo will provide rich user experiences while boasting many of its own highlights

Creating world-renowned high-end exhibitions for Beijing is one of the missions of Macworld|iWorld Asia. Taking advantage of their experience in the hosting of international exhibitions, this expo's organizers will provide Apple users across Asia with a great event in Beijing this summer focusing on Apple's third-party development applications. Consumers of Apple products all over the world will not only be able to view the new and fashionable products in the exhibition area that won this year's Macworld Asia "best award", but also have a chance to get tips from the winners of Macworld Talent and Macworld Girl on how they win at online games – tips they normally don't share with anyone. Experienced users will have an opportunity to receive professional advice from the world's top masters during the Forum's video, photography and industrial design seminars.

People-oriented service, enabling more groups to experience the convenience and creativity of a mobile-connected life, is another highlight of Macworld|iWorld Asia 2012. One day of the expo was especially designated as a day for people with disabilities, with the organizing committee setting up a service center for this purpose, providing wheelchairs and seeing eye dogs and arranging volunteers to accompany and help persons with disabilities while they toured the expo. In the media center, local development teams invited by the organizing committee will have informal discussions with blind iPhone users and issue a written proposal entitled "Taking the needs of persons with disabilities into account and advocating barrier free design". In the communication area for Apple fans, a blind Tianjin-based iPhone application teacher will provide training sessions and share experiences on screen reading software for blind visitors.

One of the weekend days of the expo has been denoted as "Family Day" and is a good opportunity for you to bring your kids so they can get a taste of the latest in mobile-connected entertainment. You can get a bag of free gifts and attend training courses for kids who would like to learn how to paint on the iPad, as well as have a chance to play Angry Birds while taking a break in the resting area.

About Macworld|iWorld

World renowned Macworld|iWorld, founded by International Data Group (IDG), is a trade-show with conference tracks dedicated to the Apple Mac platform. Attendees will obtain in-depth experiences in entertainment, training, communications and enterprise-level applications. With its compelling content, application demonstrations and exhibits, Macworld has become and remained the best of the "Mac" worlds for all Apple users from new Mac users to IT professionals. The first Macworld Expo took place in 1985 in San Francisco. For the last 26 years, the four-day event has been held as scheduled annually during the second week of January at the Moscone Center in San Francisco, California, USA.

In 2012, Macworld was renamed Macworld|iWorld, reflecting an enhanced focus on technologies and applications for mobile-connected platforms.

For more information about Macworld, please visit the official website: www.macworldasia.com

SOURCE Macworld|iWorld