CeBIT is the biggest computing show in the world. Physically speaking, at least, it’s just absolutely enormous.

But as tens of thousands of people walk the showground in Hannover, we can’t help thinking that the snow and ice outside could be a cold omen for the show’s future.

Is CeBIT losing its shine?

Hannover is a very chilly place to be this week. Freezing winds and frost-bitten, snow-covered ground has made the show a bit of an unwelcoming affair. TechRadar has been at CeBIT for a couple of days now, and the buzz that seemed to descend on the Deutsche Messe in years gone by, is eerily absent.

The question is why? Part of the reason is that CeBIT is becoming less orientated around consumer products, and more focused on back-end technologies and business. As a consequence, it certainly appears as though the turn-out here is down. There are fewer members of the German public here, or at least that’s the word circulating in the on-site press room.

Another key factor is the withdrawal of many key consumer electronics manufacturers. Dell, Sony, Sharp, Creative and the like – none of them are here this year. Because of this boycott, and coupled with the emergence of an abundance of smaller Chinese manufacturers that no one has ever heard of, CeBIT seems to have much less pulling power.

Perhaps CeBIT is one show too many

So what does this mean for the future of the show? It doesn’t look good that’s for sure. If big companies continue the trend of ducking out of CeBIT (and doing IFA and CES instead), you can be sure that more will follow. Because while the hardcore computing companies need CeBIT for exposure, the real technology superpowers like Intel and Sony, don’t.

We’re likely to see less big products launched here in future, with more onus being placed on the January CES show in Las Vegas. Some people here are saying that CeBIT might only have a couple of years left in it. Whether that’s true or not is anyone’s guess. But it sure is quiet in some of these (enormous) halls.