In not-so-surprising but bad news for the organizers, Google is the latest tech company to drop out of CES 2022, or at least the in-person version of it. The expected surge in COVID-19 cases, specifically the new Omicron variant, has made other companies like Amazon, Lenovo, T-Mobile, Meta, and Twitter withdraw from the trade show slated on January 5-8. Despite the loss of major names, it looks like the organizers are not planning to cancel the event, at least as of this writing.
In an official statement to Android Central, Google said that they will no longer be participating physically in the trade show. Instead, they will have a virtual set-up for the event and they are collaborating with the organizers, CTA, as well as their partners on how they will be able to share “the latest Google innovations” with the attendees, both in-person and virtual. The decision was made as they have been closely monitoring the COVID situation and they believe it is the best decision for the health and safety of their teams.
This is not a surprising development as the past few weeks, we’ve seen cancellations from some of the biggest participants of CES. Before Google, the most recent cancellations were from Lenovo and Waymo. We’ve also heard from Amazon, T-Mobile, Meta, Twitter, Microsoft, and some other tech companies that they will not be joining the in-person trade show as well. While we’re seeing some brands still promoting their presence there next month, we might also see others back out due to concern over the recent surge.
As for CTA, they are not planning to cancel the trade show slated for next month, or rather, in just a couple of weeks. They are assuring exhibitors and attendees that this will be a “safe event”. They will be implementing extensive health measures and will require people to be vaccinated, to wear masks, and they will even make COVID-19 tests available at the venue. Whether or not this will be enough for people and companies to still go is still anyone’s guess.
We’ll be sharing news about which ones will still be pushing through with their in-person exhibition at CES 2022, happening on January 5-8. And of course, we’ll still be covering all the latest products and launches that will be announced whether virtually or physically.
