Skip to Main Content
PCMag editors select and review products independently. If you buy through affiliate links, we may earn commissions, which help support our testing.

Farewell, IDF: Is This the Demise of the Big Trade Show?

Big conferences and shows like IDF and WinHEC attracted tens, if not hundreds of thousands of attendees, and were a great way to get a deep dive on the latest tech. Now they're gone.

April 18, 2017
IDF 2016

Once upon a time, over a dozen large technology conferences and trade shows dotted the landscape—from COMDEX and CTIA to TechEd and WinHEC. They had a mechanical regularity: details about Windows in the early spring, x86 chip announcements in early autumn, and COMDEX in November.

Opinions Now, with news of IDF's demise, only Computex, CeBIT, Mobile World Congress (MWC), and CES remain, with company-specific developer gatherings like WWDC and Google I/O picking up some of the slack.

Intel says it has "evolved its event portfolio and decided to retire the [Intel Developers Forum] program moving forward." As Anandtech reports, Intel's shift to data played a role in its decision to axe IDF, as did its desire to host smaller gatherings aimed at specific segments.

But in addition to big product announcements, like the Intel Pentium 4 or Core processors, shows like the IDF and Microsoft's WinHEC were opportunities for developers and the media to get deep dives on upcoming technologies, from the latest version of DirectX to esoteric details, like how IR cameras make Windows Hello more secure than previous facial-recognition methods. And while WinHEC returned in 2014 after a six-year hiatus, it's now largely limited to China and consists of technical conferences and smaller workshops.

At larger shows, we couldn't cover every session, but we were able to glean highlights that enhanced reviews and feature stories. WWDC still has breakout sessions, but attendance is limited to developers, so the press (and therefore the general public) can't avail themselves of insider info. Developer support websites and webcasts have largely replaced these shows as a source of general and specialized information.

Ever since Apple left the Macworld Expo in 2008, it has kept its own sporadic release schedule. An iPhone- or Mac-related special event dominates the news cycle for a few days every year, so why would it share the spotlight at a larger trade show? Other manufacturers have tried to emulate this method, some more successfully than others. For example, Microsoft now uses special events to release Surface hardware and new iterations of its Windows operating system. You have to be a member of the press to attend, but they are live streamed across the world in seconds.

We'll miss these big specialized shows, because they let us concentrate on things like microprocessor architecture or the intricacies of hardware support in an operating system for a week at a time. But rest assured, dear readers, PCMag will continue to cover events large and small in the years to come.

Get Our Best Stories!

Sign up for What's New Now to get our top stories delivered to your inbox every morning.

This newsletter may contain advertising, deals, or affiliate links. Subscribing to a newsletter indicates your consent to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. You may unsubscribe from the newsletters at any time.


Thanks for signing up!

Your subscription has been confirmed. Keep an eye on your inbox!

Sign up for other newsletters

TRENDING

About Joel Santo Domingo

Lead Analyst

Joel Santo Domingo joined PC Magazine in 2000, after 7 years of IT work for companies large and small. His background includes managing mobile, desktop and network infrastructure on both the Macintosh and Windows platforms. Joel is proof that you can escape the retail grind: he wore a yellow polo shirt early in his tech career. Along the way Joel earned a BA in English Literature and an MBA in Information Technology from Rutgers University. He is responsible for overseeing PC Labs testing, as well as formulating new test methodologies for the PC Hardware team. Along with his team, Joel won the ASBPE Northeast Region Gold award of Excellence for Technical Articles in 2005. Joel cut his tech teeth on the Atari 2600, TRS-80, and the Mac Plus. He’s built countless DIY systems, including a deconstructed “desktop” PC nailed to a wall and a DIY laptop. He’s played with most consumer electronics technologies, but the two he’d most like to own next are a Salamander broiler and a BMW E39 M5.

Read Joel's full bio

Read the latest from Joel Santo Domingo