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The final installment of PIKOM’s thrice annual computer fair will be held in December. As with the previous events, there will be three day exhibitions held in various venues across the country. Applications for exhibitors are open and a schedule has been released. While it is usually accurate, it does change depending on venue availability and other factors.

Official Schedule by PIKOM

That perfect laptop that I’ve been hunting for the better part of 2 years is still eluding me. Partly due to the introduction of new processors from Intel (first Core Duo, then Core 2 Duo) and AMD.

Incidentally, my brother-in-law purchased a new Fujitsu model and I was pretty impressed by its small form factor. Notebooks have certainly gained in popularity over recent years due to dropping prices. Even so, it is still difficult to find a good bargain. I’m not exactly the sort of person who buys something on a whim. It usually takes me months (and in this case, years) to finally come to a decision.

One stop computer superstores such as All IT Hypermarket have taken some of the zing out of shopping for computer hardware, peripherals and accessories. These stores rely on volume sales to drive their profits and as such, are able to offer competitive prices. The flipside is that consumers pay the retail value and can no longer bargain for a better price. It is a trade-off between value and convenience.

While computer hypermarts have gained in popularity and caters to the less computer literate majority of the population, computer fairs are still the ideal playground for bargain hunters. Instead of a decrease in patronage, PIKOM PC Fairs have seen consistent increases in the size of its exhibits and the volume of visitors. For me, this directly reflects the demand for good offers. The computer savvy crowds usually hold off major system upgrades for such computer fairs in order to get more bang for their budget.

As usual, I’ll be walking the rounds and keeping an eye out for good bargains. Maybe a Wireless Network (WIFI) setup for my house. If I should find one, you’ll be the first to know. How about you? What are you looking for this time round?