Google on Tuesday cancelled its annual I/O developer conference amid growing concerns over Coronavirus outbreak. The Google I/O 2020 was scheduled to take place between May 12 and May 14 at the Shoreline Amphitheatre in Mountain View California. “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,” a Google spokesperson said in a statement. On Monday, the internet giant had announced the cancellation of the Cloud Next 2020 conference that was scheduled to run from April 6 through April 9 and instead opted for a virtual event.
Google Likely to Conduct an Online Event for I/O 2020
The internet company added they are now exploring “to evolve Google I/O to best connect with and continue to build our developer community”. This means Google will probably conduct a digital presentation instead.
The annual I/O conference is one of the company’s major events which typically attracts thousands of global developers who get a chance to interact with Google’s latest technology. Google usually uses the event to introduce new features of its Android OS, Google powered hardware including digital assistants and even updates to services like Google Maps.
The company said in an email to attendees that tickets purchased for the 2020 event will be refunded by March 13. Also, people who won the 2020 tickets will automatically get the option to purchase tickets for Google’s I/O 2021 conference.
Google has joined a growing number of companies who have put off their scheduled events due to the coronavirus epidemic. Previously, Facebook cancelled its annual F8 developers conference and instead opted for an online presentation of the event instead of face-to-face interaction at San Jose conference centre.
Other events cancelled due to health concerns include the annual Game Developers Conference in San Francisco and the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona.
In fact, smartphone brands in India also cancelled their offline launch events as Coronavirus has reached India as well. Xiaomi and Realme cancelled their Redmi Note 9 and Realme 6 series offline launch events.
