Due to the ongoing coronavirus outbreak across the globe, Google is yet one more company to cancel a major event.
Google has announced today that it has decided to cancel the physical, in-person portion of it’s upcoming Google I/O developer conference. The event was scheduled to take place between May 12 and May 14 of this year. The cancellation is due directly to concerns over the spread of the coronavirus.
Here’s a statement made by a Google spokesperson to The Verge:
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.
Google says it is now exploring “other ways to evolve Google I/O to best connect with and continue to build our developer community”. Meanwhile, attendees who already purchased tickets will be fully refunded, and those who purchased a ticket to this year’s event will automatically have the opportunity to buy a ticket to next year’s annual developers conference.
Google I/O is one of Google’s biggest events of the year, if not the biggest. Google executives and those invited on stage take the time to talk about the next big changes for Android, in this case Android 11, along with major changes and additions to services like Google Maps and Google Assistant.
Looks like we’ll be seeing the next major version of Android in a different way this year. But, like many other companies out there, Google is playing it safe due to coronavirus concerns.
It’s certainly starting to feel like the rumored March 31 event for Apple is less likely to happen, right?