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The coronavirus has claimed yet another major tech conference.
Google canceled its annual I/O developer conference that was supposed to take place at its Mountain View, CA., headquarters, between May 12 and May 14.
Google sent emails to attendees who had purchased tickets promising a full refund by March 13. Such developers will get a chance to to purchase tickets to the 2021 I/O conference without having to enter a drawing for the privilege.
Google said in the email that it would explore other ways in the coming weeks to best connect with the developer community.
The company also typically uses I/O to unveil new versions of Android and showcase new products.
The virus outbreak has already led to the cancellation of other tech confabs, notably MWC, the vast mobile show that was to have taken place in Barcelona last month, as well as Facebook F8, the social network’s developer conference which like Google had been scheduled for May.
As of now, the South by Southwest gathering in Austin that’s set to begin March 13 is still on. So for the moment is Apple’s own developer conference WWDC in June.
You have to believe however, that the spread of the coronavirus will put those events in jeopardy as well.
While the cancellations are an obvious economic blow to the companies, industries and developers, most directly affected, there is a lot of peripheral damage to hotels, taxis, restaurants and other local merchants.
Email: [email protected]; Follow @edbaig on Twitter
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