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posted by Fnord666 on Friday February 14 2020, @03:04AM   Printer-friendly
from the what-now? dept.

With MWC [Barcelona] 2020 canceled, most new Android phones face a tough debut:

With Mobile World Congress 2020 officially terminado -- thanks to the coronavirus -- mobile vendors, big and small, are now scrambling to figure out their next steps. Some, particularly Chinese companies, are mulling plans to proceed with their events in Barcelona, Spain, even though the official conference won't take place.

MWC brings together companies from across the world, with many using the weeklong trade show as the place to introduce their newest smartphones. This year was expected to feature new 5Gphones from nearly every major Android vendor, as well as updates about the networks running the new superfast connectivity. While 5G became a reality last year, this year is when it could go mainstream.

MWC is key to the mobile industry for two big reasons: It's where vendors get attention for their newest devices and it's where companies hammer out deals behind the scenes. That includes getting carriers to agree to offer devices from smaller players that don't go by the name of Apple or Samsung. This year's show was officially slated to run from Feb. 24 to 27, with press meetings starting as early as Feb. 21.

On Wednesday, though, GSMA finally pulled the plug on the entire show. The show's organizer said the coronavirus, the disease infecting tens of thousands of people, had made it "impossible" for the show to proceed.

With MWC no longer taking place, that disrupts the launches -- and dealmaking -- for over 2,000 companies that planned to attend the show. For some, it could mean holding their own events or simply putting out press releases to unveil their newest gadgets. Many could delay their product launches altogether while they figure out what to do. Ultimately, we may all have to wait longer to hear about -- and buy -- the latest gadgets.

"The delayed product releases that will occur as the result of this show, as well as the supply side challenges surrounding the coronavirus' broader impact in China ... could potentially delay the smartphone industry's return to growth into 2021 if the current state of flux is not settled soon," Futuresource Consulting analyst Stephen Mears said.

Also at The Register

Previously:
MWC Barcelona 2020: "Mobile World Congress" or "Most Won't Come"?


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  • (Score: 2) by theluggage on Friday February 14 2020, @05:50PM

    by theluggage (1797) on Friday February 14 2020, @05:50PM (#958212)

    it appears to be viral infectrion no worse than a common flu.

    ...which kills thousands of people a year, is quite a big deal for people with existing heart/lung/etc. conditions, and carries a risk that it will mutate into something much worse. If a new flu-like virus (that the vulnerable haven't been vaccinated against) can be nipped in the bud that's a good thing. The global economy will probably recover from a few missed trade fairs, especially in the era of teh Interwebs...

    On the other hand, it ain't the Andromeda Strain and some of the panic is a bit ridiculous because, yes, you stand more chance of catching the regular flu - but then perhaps people should be a bit less complacent about spreading that...

    Meanwhile, why are these companies doom-and-glooming when they could be virtue-signalling about all the polar bears they're saving by not flying to Spain?

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