With Mobile World Congress fast approaching it seems like every day we are getting news of another defection. Some are expected, like not getting a look at Samsung’s Galaxy S IV, while others are getting ahead of the MWC news cycle like HTC and their upcoming M7. But today’s possible no show is puzzling to say the least. Apparently Google is sitting this one out as they have no plans to have an Android booth at the upcoming trade show. This became apparent when they failed to launch a MWC 2013 website, something they have done for previous shows.
According to the French language blog Test Mobile, Google France have themselves confirmed that the search giant won’t have as large of a presence as in previous years. In the communication the rep from Google France said: “I can confirm that indeed, Sonia, we will not stand at MWC this year. However, the Android team will be present in Barcelona to support its partners.” Although what role the Android team will be playing was left up in the air.
This development is sure to disappoint attendees of the conference since in the past the Android booth was always among the most popular. And why wouldn’t it be considering it was a massive two story display that had tables set up throughout for OEMs and software developers alike to show off their wares. Not only that they also offered some of the best freebies including smoothies, candy, pins, and custom backs for the Galaxy Nexus.
I suppose that it can be argued that Google doesn’t really need these shows as much as the manufacturers do because they make all of their major announcements at Google I/O. On top of that it’s not like Android isn’t going be represented by most of the manufacturers there. But this is just another instance of a major player skipping out on what once was one of the MUST DO events of the calendar year. With all the big announcements being made in standalone events the point is clear that these shows just don’t have the clout that they once did. You have to wonder if these conferences will eventually be so marginalized in the future that they will barely be covered at all.