MWC 2022 Day 1 – Blinking in the sunlight

Its hero not zero

• MWC emerges from the dark tunnel of the pandemic and its attendees are happy to see the sunlight once again.
• I think the GSMA will be pretty happy.
• The show is not rammed but it is busy with I would estimate somewhere between 40% – 50% of the footfall that was experienced in 2019.
• This would bring the footfall somewhere close to 55,000 which is bang in line with the GSMA’s optimistic estimate.
• There is more space, more places to sit and no queue for the loos but the stands are busy and almost all of the important players are here.
• The Chinese and Taiwanese are largely absent as it takes 3 weeks for residents to get back home but the international employees of these companies are all here and have a good presence.
• I think that this heralds a full return next year and am optimistic that this show combined with CES will remind everyone of the value of making this trek every year.

Android: Google, Samsung and Android automotive.

• Google and Samsung are quietly creeping closer and closer together which is something I have long argued that they need to do if they want to successfully counter Apple.
• Google’s main attraction this year is the Android Partner Walk which sends attendees running around trying to collect all of the metal Android badges.
• The largest part of this is a guided tour of the Google Ecosystem in a series of huts in the outdoor area between halls 2 and 3.
• Here, Samsung is everywhere and apart from the occasional Google Pixel device, no other manufacturer is to be seen.
• This is a tacit admission that now that Huawei has exited the market, the only player of real relevance is Samsung.
• The one exception was Renault which has an electric Renault Meganne parked outside one of the huts.
• This is supposed to be a demonstration of how Android Automotive is deeply integrated into the vehicle with requests for charging stations, directions and points of interest being adroitly addressed.
• However, one request to ask Google to open the windows of the vehicle demonstrated just how skin deep the integration of Google services is into the vehicle as the vehicle failed to respond to this basic request.
• Renault has put Google into the infotainment unit and allowed it to run the navigation but when it comes to the core vehicle data which is what the digital vehicle is all about, Google remains locked out.
• This is typical of all the OEMs who have kissed the ring with splashy press releases and then declined to grant Google any access to the workings of the vehicle beyond the infotainment unit.
• Hence, I continue to think that while Google is making some progress in catching up with Apple, its aspirations to turn OEMs into handsets on wheels continues to flounder.