The past couple of weeks have been bad for the tech industry as the Coronavirus outbreak has impacted almost every company. After GSMA was forced to cancel MWC 2020 altogether, Oppo and Xiaomi have released official statements confirming the cancellation of their respective launch events.
In a statement, Oppo said that the company welcomes and respects GSMA’s decision and has decided to call off the launch event. Oppo hasn’t given any expected launch date the rumours suggest that the company is eyeing for March to launch its first 5G smartphone.
Oppo respects and understands GSMA’s decision to cancel the MWC Barcelona 2020 event. After serious consideration, we have also decided to reschedule the OPPO Find X2 Global Launch Event, originally scheduled on 22nd February.
– Oppo
Xiaomi, on the other hand, apologized for the cancellation of the launch event and has no alternate launch date planned for the moment. Xiaomi was expected to launch the Mi 10 at MWC 2020 and the company is now looking for alternative launch dates at the moment.
After much consideration, Xiaomi has postponed its Mi 10 launch event — originally scheduled for Feb. 23 in Barcelona. We apologize for any inconvenience and will absolutely share the updated timing and location once confirmed.
– Xiaomi
Mobile World Congress has always been the hotspot for telecom companies to come together and showcase their latest and greatest achievements while setting a roadmap for the year. Unfortunately, with the Coronavirus outbreak, companies felt it won’t be a wise move to expose their employees to a hundred thousand people that were expected to travel to Barcelona for the trade show. With companies pulling out of the trade show and the virus spread fast, GSMA made a decision to call off the show leaving small companies stranded and looking for a better platform to flaunt their technological accomplishments.
Via CNet