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Microsoft has cancelled its biggest event of the year because the spread of coronavirus.
It will instead hold its annual developer conference, called Build, as a “digital event”.
It comes after Facebook and Google also cancelled their developer events and committed to hold them virtually instead. Apple has not announced its annual Worldwide Developers Conference event, but that is also widely expected to be postponed or cancelled.
The firms have instead said they will hold the events virtually, allowing participants and the press to watch events from home, over the internet.
The Microsoft Build conference had been scheduled to take place between May 19 and 21 in Seattle and is traditionally used to unveil updates to Windows software, as well as new computing hardware.
Microsoft said in a statement it was following health and safety recommendations to help prevent the further spread of the Covid-19 virus.
“The safety of our community is a top priority,” a Microsoft spokeswoman said.
“In light of the health safety recommendations for Washington state, we will deliver our annual Microsoft Build event for developers as a digital event, in lieu of an in-person event.
“We look forward to bringing together our community of developers in this new virtual format to learn, connect and code together.
“Stay tuned for more details to come.”
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The usually busy Royal Mile in Edinburgh is empty as people stay away from public areas amid the coronavirus outbreak on 13 March
Katielee Arrowsmith/SWNS
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Ho bart’s Amusement Arcade in Westward Ho!, Devon is offering toilet roll and soap as prizes in grabber machines
Rob Braddick/SWNS
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An empty platform at Farringdon Station in London the morning after the Prime Minister said that Covid-19 “is the worst public health crisis for a generation”
PA
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Shopkeepers Asiyah Javed and husband Jawad from Day Today Express, in Stenhousemuir, Falkirk are giving away facemasks, antibacterial hand wash and cleaning wipes to the elderly in a bid to stop the spread of Coronavirus
Katielee Arrowsmith/SWNS
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A usually busy street in Cambridge is empty as people stay away from public areas amid the coronavirus outbreak on 2 March
James Linsell-Clark/SWNS
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A hand sanitiser dispenser is seen inside the stadium during the Premier League match between Manchester United and Manchester City at Old Trafford on 8 March
Getty
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Maaya Indian Kitchen in Milton Keynes is offerig customers a free roll of toilet paper with every takeaway order
SWNS
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Oliver Cooper[L], was sent home from school for selling spurts of handsanitiser to fellow pupils at 50p a time. He poses with mum Jenny Tompkins by their home in Leeds
Ashley Pemberton/SWNS
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Empty toilet paper shelves at a supermarket in London on 12 March
EPA
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A member of the public is swabbed at a drive through Coronavirus testing site set up in a car park in Wolverhampton
Getty
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A passenger wears a protective face mask as she travels on a bus in the City of London
AFP/Getty
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A Southampton fan wears a face mask before the match against Newcastle United on 7 March
Reuters
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A loudspeaker placed in grounds of St Mary’s Catholic Church in Broughattin, Dundalk, County Louth ahead of funeral mass later this morning. The loudspeaker has been placed in the grounds after the Catholic Archdiocese said that funerals and weddings should not exceed 100 attendees within the church building
PA
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A hand sanitising station set up outside Cheltenham Racecourse during day four of the Cheltenham Festival on 13 March
PA
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People wearing protective face masks walk across London Bridge on 11 March
AFP/Getty
1/15
The usually busy Royal Mile in Edinburgh is empty as people stay away from public areas amid the coronavirus outbreak on 13 March
Katielee Arrowsmith/SWNS
2/15
Ho bart’s Amusement Arcade in Westward Ho!, Devon is offering toilet roll and soap as prizes in grabber machines
Rob Braddick/SWNS
3/15
An empty platform at Farringdon Station in London the morning after the Prime Minister said that Covid-19 “is the worst public health crisis for a generation”
PA
4/15
Shopkeepers Asiyah Javed and husband Jawad from Day Today Express, in Stenhousemuir, Falkirk are giving away facemasks, antibacterial hand wash and cleaning wipes to the elderly in a bid to stop the spread of Coronavirus
Katielee Arrowsmith/SWNS
5/15
A usually busy street in Cambridge is empty as people stay away from public areas amid the coronavirus outbreak on 2 March
James Linsell-Clark/SWNS
6/15
A hand sanitiser dispenser is seen inside the stadium during the Premier League match between Manchester United and Manchester City at Old Trafford on 8 March
Getty
7/15
Maaya Indian Kitchen in Milton Keynes is offerig customers a free roll of toilet paper with every takeaway order
SWNS
8/15
Oliver Cooper[L], was sent home from school for selling spurts of handsanitiser to fellow pupils at 50p a time. He poses with mum Jenny Tompkins by their home in Leeds
Ashley Pemberton/SWNS
9/15
Empty toilet paper shelves at a supermarket in London on 12 March
EPA
10/15
A member of the public is swabbed at a drive through Coronavirus testing site set up in a car park in Wolverhampton
Getty
11/15
A passenger wears a protective face mask as she travels on a bus in the City of London
AFP/Getty
12/15
A Southampton fan wears a face mask before the match against Newcastle United on 7 March
Reuters
13/15
A loudspeaker placed in grounds of St Mary’s Catholic Church in Broughattin, Dundalk, County Louth ahead of funeral mass later this morning. The loudspeaker has been placed in the grounds after the Catholic Archdiocese said that funerals and weddings should not exceed 100 attendees within the church building
PA
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A hand sanitising station set up outside Cheltenham Racecourse during day four of the Cheltenham Festival on 13 March
PA
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People wearing protective face masks walk across London Bridge on 11 March
AFP/Getty
Microsoft’s announcement continues following the cancellation of E3 – the annual video games convention in Los Angeles, which had been scheduled for June and attracts around 100,000 visitors. The company had been expected to show off its new Xbox Series X at the gaming conference.
Google and Facebook have also cancelled their developer conferences, which had been due to take place in May, with both now expected to have online events instead.
On Thursday, Twitter confirmed it had made it mandatory for all staff globally to work from home as it increased its efforts to curb the spread of the virus.
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