Microsoft Announces Digital Version of Build Conference

Microsoft has announced a digital version of its developer conference Build. The physical event, which was scheduled for May, is canceled due to the outbreak of the new corona virus.

It concerns a ‘new virtual format’, Microsoft says in a statement to The Verge. The company is currently unable or unwilling to say exactly what that will look like. Microsoft has not yet announced the change on its own site; Build’s site only states that Microsoft is monitoring the situation. Build was scheduled for May 19-21.

Microsoft is the third major tech company to cancel the physical version of its developer conference. Facebook previously did that with F8 and Google with I/O, two events that also take place in May. Only Apple’s WWDC developer conference is still on the agenda as a physical event. That will take place in June.

The tech company supposedly wanted to talk about the upcoming release of the new Windows version Windows 10X for dual-screen devices. The company is also working on software for Android, for the Surface Neo phone with two screens.

In addition to developer conferences, many tech fairs have also been canceled. MWC was canceled in February, in March it has so far been Game Developers Conference and SXSW. The game fair E3 in June will also be an online event.