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After the blitz of announcements in January at the Consumer Electronics Show, most tech brands tend to retreat back into their shells to make sure those announcements come to life. The next big show comes at the end of February, and Mobile World Congress in Barcelona brings us all the latest improvements we’d likely see in 2020 smartphones. And following that, the cycle of smartphone announcements begin anew, starting from Samsung’s next flagship Galaxy S series, followed by a growing list of Chinese competitiong from the likes of Oppo, Vivo, Huawei…

So, there’s usually a lull period between CES and MWC before we get back into the swing of things as March rolls around.

Except, 2020 has decided to throw a wrench into the program. As I write this note, Wuhan Coronavirus fears are at its peak intensity. With the closing of borders between China and the world, there’s also a growing fear of global economic impact, plus logistics and supply chain disruptions. China is, after all, where the majority of the world’s tech products are produced.

Analysts are already predicting that the Wuhan coronavirus will have a bigger impact than the Sars outbreak in 2003, as far as the economy is concerned. Will this dull tech announcements in the coming months? Will MWC be a muted affair? Will it stem the tide of Chinese tech progression?

By the time you read this, it may well have blown over, but what if it hasn’t?