Bad news for tech trade shows, as Google has pulled the plug on its own show, thanks to the coronavirus.
Barely three months into the year, it’s becoming a bit of a wild ride for technology companies. While CES 2020 kicked off the year with plenty of promise, the cancellation of Mobile World Congress from coronavirus fears has plunged the technology world into a bit of a question-mark filled canyon of confusion.
What will happen next? Will technology released continue at the often hurried pace they typically see?
You can expect new products to make their way out, but it won’t likely be at technology shows, as yet another domino falls and another high profile show is cancelled for 2020.
While the Game Developers Conference in San Francisco saw cancellation only a few days ago, this week Google is pulling the plug on Google I/O 2020, citing coronavirus fears as the reason.
On the Google I/O 2020 website, Google has posed a message stating:
Due to concerns around the coronavirus (COVID-19), and in accordance with health guidance from the CDC, WHO, and other health authorities, we have decided to cancel the physical Google I/O event at Shoreline Amphitheatre.
Attendees will reportedly have their tickets refunded, and Google will likely shift its announcements to an online environment. This means whatever product announcements Google had waiting, such as a Pixel 3a follow-up, will likely be announced online for all, possibly with hands-on time at the local arm, which in this case means Google Australia.
That’s an assumption, however, because Google hasn’t said quite what will be happening, outside that it is exploring “other ways to evolve Google I/O to best connect” with the developer community.
And that’s just one more tech show that has been killed for the year, and we suspect Apple’s WWDC will be next, likely becoming an online virtual conference only.
