More big names are cancelling in-person CES 2022 plans. CNETnotes AMD and OnePlus have both withdrawn their physical presences at the technology event. While they didn’t provide detailed explanations, the move was clearly in response to the rise of COVID-19’s Omicron variant and the corresponding surge in new cases. AMD is switching its in-person transactions to virtual ones in the “best interest” of everyone’s health, the company said in a statement.
AMD was already poised to launch its 2022 products through a livestream on January 4th. OnePlus said it would introduce the OnePlus 10 Pro in January and was rumored to unveil the phone at CES.
The companies join numerous major brands that have backed out of real-world CES involvement, including Amazon, AT&T, GM, Google, Intel, Lenovo, Meta, Microsoft and T-Mobile. Others were already focused on virtual presentations, such as NVIDIA. Show mainstays like LG, Samsung and Sony were still committed as of this writing.
CES’ organizer, the Consumer Technology Association, is still planning an in-person event and believes its health and safety measures are enough to protect attendees. It also downplayed the wave of departures, noting there had been more new sign-ups than exits as of December 23rd. The situation has changed in recent days, though, and the concern is more about the size of the companies than sheer numbers — this won’t represent a CES revival if the star attractions are nowhere to be seen.
