In conjunction with MWC Barcelona 2022 which will be taking place from the 28th of February to the 3rd of March, Tara Neal, Executive Editor of The Fast Mode spoke to Chris Jones, VP & Chief Analyst at Canalys on the company's plans and showcases for this year's event.
Tara: What do youthink MWC 2022 will be all about? And what are your MWC 2022 plans?
Chris: MWC22 has the umbrella theme of “Connectivity Unleashed” and certainly technology areas such as AI, IoT and 5G have become much more pervasive since pre-pandemic times. While it won’t have pre-pandemic attendee numbers, for those that do go, including me, MWC22 will be the chance to meet both new and established industry contacts again – scheduled or in chance encounters in the hall and walkways. Canalys does not have a booth at the event. Instead, we fill our schedules before we arrive with back-to-back meetings, add a few more while we are there, and do our best to make it on time to each one – often running between meetings. We've all got used to attending virtual events. While the quality of those events has improved, nothing beats meeting people in person, experiencing the new products and solutions up close and being able to ask those challenging questions. The incredible feeling of coming away with an industry vision of the future, our insights on how we might get there, tactical action items with clients, and plenty of analysis to deliver!
Tara: How has the pandemic impacted the operational and business landscape of the tech segment you are operating in?
Chris: We're so incredibly fortunate that there has been massive demand for technology products and services during the pandemic. Many industries and countless individuals have struggled. But the way we do business has changed. Many will not want to go back to the grueling travel schedule and day-to-day commuting of 2019 and indeed many CFOs will be unwilling to fund those budgets again! While they have been forced upon us, we have all become accustomed to virtual meetings. These changes will be permanent, but we still have a drive to be connected, which circles back to the technology opportunity that underpins it.
Tara: What emerging trends/technologies have you observed in your tech segment in recent months?
Chris: Component shortages are not a new trend, but the lack of supply of critical components, specifically silicon-based, continues to impact the broad technology industry and frustrate consumers. Away from supply chain challenges, sustainability has become the most important, urgent talking point in the technology industry and will be a big topic in conference sessions and on many booths at MWC22. It must move from being a cost-topic in organizations to a strategic topic with substantial returns. From a mobile devices perspective, we will see concept devices with flexible displays showcased at MWC22 – but how close will the concepts be to the launched products? Several vendors including HONOR, Huawei, OPPO, Xiaomi and market leader Samsung launched foldable smartphones in 2021. At Canalys we estimate that close to 10 million foldable smartphones were shipped globally in 2021, we will see many on show in Barcelona. Looking ahead, the metaverse will drive the next tech evolution wave, with all vendors seeking to get their piece of the device, infrastructure or service opportunity. It was already the buzzword of 2021. The tech titans will not be able to resist trying to capture and monetize our attention even more by tethering us to this new world. It also plays to the strength of the telcos where bandwidth and network reliability are essential. On a tactical level the next generation of smart devices must support quality virtual experiences. We will continue to see smartphone and PC brands place greater emphasis on cameras, displays, processors, and software to support AR technology and experiences. The metaverse may yet overpromise and underdeliver, but ICT companies cannot afford to be left behind if there are any signs of it fulfilling its potential.
Chris Jones was one of the three founders of Canalys and is based in the Reading office, UK. Chris leads the Intelligent Vehicle Service globally, which he established during his many years based in Palo Alto at the Canalys Americas office. The service is the only one in the market to focus on identifying which features - or combination or group of features (driver assistance, connectivity, convenience and safety) sell in the different vehicle models, on a quarterly basis.
