The rapid spread of coronavirus is causing a series of major event cancellations. Organisers are concerned about the rapid transmission of the disease in crowded environments, leading to the disruption of some of the world's most prominent tech and gaming shows.

Google has now postponed its annual cloud conference, Cloud Next, which was set to go ahead as a digital-only event on April 6. The company claims it still plans to put on the event "when the timing is right."

Apple also recently altered its plans based on the COVID-19 threat - it has moved to an 'online-only' event, and is donating to local businesses to allow for the drop in revenue from the lack of thousands of visitors.

In February, Mobile World Conference’s cancellation tipped the first domino in many that have since fallen, and it’s likely to continue until the spread of COVID-19 is contained.

With E3 and Build also falling and finding other ways to display their messages to developers and fans, it's clear that 2020 is going to be a year of disruption in the tech world, and that's going to have an impact on the new devices we'll be able to buy and when.

We've rounded up all the cancellations that have already occurred, and what we're expecting to happen later in the year as we navigate 2020.

MWC

The biggest annual smartphone show was the first to go; on 12 February the GSMA (Global System for Mobile Communication) announced it had canceled Mobile World Congress 2020. The confirmation came after Nokia, LG, Facebook, Sony, and other major names had already pulled out.

The impact: MWC has been a mixed bag of late when it comes to truly groundbreakling phone launches, but this year was set to be a big moment for 5G. 

As CCS Insight put it, “the focus would have evolved from far-reaching demonstrations such as flying taxis and remote airships, to more realistic and pragmatic scenarios”. Without that futuristic vision being passed around the industry, it could slow down the impact of new and innovative ways of using 5G we've not yet thought of.

The phone launches themselves haven't been cancelled, as some brands who were lined up for the show still made announcements, just with less fanfare. For example, Sony revealed its new Xperia 1 II flagship with a YouTube presentation and others are lined up to launch later in the year.

Then there’s the economic impact on Barcelona itself. “We’re looking for solidarity and everybody bearing their own costs,” Mats Granryd, director general of the GSMA, told Bloomberg in an interview. “We’re an NGO and we don’t make a profit. We don’t have huge amounts of funds, and all our proceeds are funneled back into the industry.”

Facebook F8

Facebook’s big developer conference was set to kick off May 5 this year. Mark Zuckerberg usually opens F8 with a keynote in which he’ll make some vague, non-commitment to privacy, which will be followed by several announcements about the company’s different products and services.

The impact: Probably not huge for users, but developers won’t get the benefit of face time with the company. 

In a statement, Facebook said, “We plan to replace the in-person F8 event with locally hosted events, video and live-streamed content.”

And as for Oculus, the company usually holds its own Connect conference in the fall – and right now we assume that’s still on track.

GDC

If you’re an independent game dev, the Game Developers Conference, held in February/March each year in San Francisco, is as big as it gets. 

E3 might have the spectacle, but it’s GDC where smaller games find a home and hardworking developers get their first big break. It's indefinite cancellation is a big blow for multiple people working in the industry, and will have ramifications later on in development cycles.

“I think the cancellations of both GDC and E3 will have a major impact on the video game industry, but not a lot of it will be public-facing,” Jason Schrier, News Editor at Kotaku, tells TechRadar. 

“The companies that planned to announce their games at those shows will still find ways to make announcements. 

"What people don't realize is how much happens behind the scenes at both of these events - how many games get signed, how many negotiations get started, how many networking events lead to game deals down the road. I think the repercussions will be severe.”

The impact: Self-publishing is tough, and these smaller developers often have to spend beyond their budget to come to GDC. So there will be an economic hit on many developers who aren’t able to recuperate their costs.  

But more important than that, GDC is a place where developers come to meet publishers and demo their games. 

Not having the opportunity to make those relationships and, in many cases, find a way to publish their game, has obvious ramifications.

SXSW

South by Southwest (known to its friends as SXSW or South By) is Austin’s biggest annual event; a huge melting pot of tech, music and film consuming the city for two weeks each March.

After weeks of pressure to cancel the conference, the decision was made by Austin’s mayor Steve Adler who declared a local state of emergency. It came after companies including Facebook, Twitter, Amazon, Netflix and Apple had already pulled out of the conference. 

Even Trent Reznor and Ozzy Osbourne had dropped out, and if Osbourne won’t risk it, you should probably pull the plug.

The impact: For larger tech companies like Facebook and Twitter, the ramifications probably won’t be huge; but it’s a different story for smaller companies and artists. 

For many indie filmmakers, having a movie premiere at SXSW can launch their career. The cancellation will surely be a setback to many artists who had been given a shot. 

There will also be wider implications on Austin itself. SXSW is a major economic driver that attracts hundreds of thousands of attendees each year. Even the local press, who rely on the events of SXSW, will be harmed by the cancellation.

Google I/O

Google’s developer conference, held at its Mountain View headquarters in California, is the company’s biggest public-facing event of the year. It’s essentially what WWDC is to Apple, but still bigger than the company’s Made by Google hardware event held in the fall. 

Google I/O 2020 was due to take place May 12-14, but on March 3 the company announced the show wouldn’t go ahead owing to concerns around the coronavirus.

The impact: I/O is where Google announces some of its biggest news to entice both developers and product users. 

Previous I/O shows have been live streamed, and given that we expect Google to still make some major announcements around that time – it’s where we expect to learn more about Android 11 – we wouldn’t be surprised to see it deliver some sort of stream. 

Like GDC, the biggest impact will be felt by developers who use GDC to network and learn about the nuts and bolts of Google’s plans and products. 

There are heaps of talks held throughout the days and attended by developers – that’s where the impact will be felt hardest. However, we're still expecting the launch of the Google Pixel 4a and the new Airpods-rivalling Pixel Buds, providing they're not delayed by production issues (which we've not heard any rumor of just yet).

Google Cloud Next

Google Cloud Next has now been postponed indefinitely. The event was set to go ahead in a digital-only format from April 6-8, but Google has now pulled the plug entirely.

The company says it still intends to hold the event, but has not yet settled on a new date.

"Google Cloud has decided to postpone Google Cloud Next '20: Digital Connect out of concern for the health and safety of our customers, partners, employees and local communities, and based on recent decisions made by the federal and local governments regarding the coronavirus," said Alison Wagonfeld, Google Cloud CMO, in a blog post.

The impact: Cloud Next is Google's largest enterprise-focused event - it usually consumes the entirety of the Moscone Center in San Francisco. 

The conference provides a stage for significant announcements relating to G Suite, Google Cloud and the company's other enterprise offerings.

Adobe Summit EMEA

Adobe Summit, the company's premier digital experience conference, is usually a space for marketers to share best tools and best practices for enhancing customer experience.

The show was set to take place between May 13-14 at London's ExCel, but has now joined the growing list of shows disrupted by the coronavirus pandemic.

The impact: Having closely monitored the developing situation around COVID-19, Adobe took the decision to pull the plug on the event, where it was set to announce its latest product and platform innovations.

Unlike other shows, Adobe Summit EMEA has not been cancelled outright. The company has said the event will take place later this year, although precise dates and details are still to be confirmed.

E3 2020

The world’s biggest gaming convention is now officially canceled. Scheduled to take place June 9-11 in Los Angeles, E3 2020 was set for another explosive year, despite dwindling support from major companies.

In a statement, the ESA said it is “exploring options” with its members to coordinate an online experience in June - and that's going to be important for the future of the event.

The impact: The LA convention has been slowly fading in significance. In 2013 Nintendo replaced its press conference with an online presentation, and has continued to do so each year since. In 2019, Sony pulled its presence completely, and had already committed to doing the same in 2020 before E3 was canceled.

Nonetheless, all eyes were on E3 2020 as it would be the last show before the PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X launch in time for the holidays. Granted, Sony wasn’t set to attend anyway, but we’ve been expecting third-party developers and publishers to announce at the event. 

Microsoft will be hit hardest here. It wanted to use E3 to drum up hype and will now host a digital event instead.

So will next year be business as usual? Possibly not. The ESA’s statement closed with an interesting choice of words: 

“We thank everyone who shared their views on reimagining E3 this year. We look forward to bringing you E3 2021 as a reimagined event that brings fans, media, and the industry together in a showcase that celebrates the global video game industry.”

A “reimagined event” sounds like this year’s cancellation could have been the last straw, and that next year’s show could look quite different. 

Our own Gerald Lynch even believes that this delay could actually be better for developers:

"Recent E3 shows have called the event’s relevancy into doubt. Increasingly, large gaming announcements are made independent of E3, with some companies choosing not to exhibit at the show entirely. 

"On the eve of its reveal of the PlayStation 5, Sony stated that it would not be attending E3 2020 (prior to the current health scare), while Nintendo has for years preferred to host its own web stream rather than an E3 conference (though it always has a substantial presence on the show floor). And so, it seems, will everyone else this year."

However, Kotaku’s Jason Schrier believes the impact will be felt hardest among developers who rely on E3 for forming vital connections. “The networking opportunities will be sorely missed and it's hard to measure just how significant the consequences will be,” he says.

Microsoft Build

When: 19-21 May

Microsoft Build was set to kick off on May 19 in Seattle, but with the number of coronavirus cases in Washington rising, it’s now gone online only.

In a statement to The Verge, Microsoft wrote: "The safety of our community is a top priority. 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 ecosystem of developers in this new virtual format to learn, connect and code together. Stay tuned for more details to come."

The impact: Not devastating to users as there's little hardware announced at this conference, but it will definitely suck for developers. 

We were expecting to hear more about platforms that would power things like dual-screen (or even flexible) devices - that will still be given out on the virtual conference but developers will have to wait longer to get direct information and testing with it.

Microsoft Build has become more of a spectacle in recent years, but with around 6,000 developers in attendance it’s a great way to get vital facetime with the company -and other key developers - as they assess how they can interact with the company's new announcements on platform and software.

WWDC 2020

When: Unconfirmed, but it’s usually the first week of June.

Apple’s developer conference, typically held at the San Jose Convention Center in June, has now moved to an 'online only' show.

Apple announces its shows quite late in the day, which gave the company a little more time to see how the COVID-19 situation plays out. 

But with May conferences currently canceling and June creeping up, Apple decided to make sure that flights weren't booked and developers wouldn't be disappointed. And in true Apple style, it decided to barely not to any virus and focus on how  positive it was that this 2020 is no longer a physical event:

“We are delivering WWDC 2020 this June in an innovative way to millions of developers around the world, bringing the entire developer community together with a new experience,” said Phil Schiller, Apple’s senior vice president of Worldwide Marketing. 

“The current health situation has required that we create a new WWDC 2020 format that delivers a full program with an online keynote and sessions, offering a great learning experience for our entire developer community, all around the world. We will be sharing all of the details in the weeks ahead.” 

The impact: WWDC is, obviously, a big show for developers who get the opportunity to speak with engineers at Apple and gain important insights. 

But it’s also when Apple unveils the next big updates to its software across its products; this year we’ll get our first look at iOS 14 and watchOS 7.

Although these software updates won’t roll out until the new products launch in September, Apple needs to get developers excited and prepared to build the next wave of software, and that requires teaching and communication. 

After all, you want your new iPhone to have working apps, right? While Apple is talking up the online-only platform as 'innovative', not having the opportunity to connect with info directly could still stifle third-party app innovation.

“For me, it’s almost the only opportunity in the year where I dedicate full time to learn and test the new frameworks and tools,” Joaquin Durand, a developer from Houston, Texas, who has attended several past WWDC events.

”Lots of people go there just for networking or go to the labs to speak directly to Apple’s engineers about their projects. For them, not talking about their issues in the labs could be a problem”.

What’s currently still happening

We’re only three months into the year and already a large handful of conferences have been cancelled, while others hang in the balance. 

Here are the upcoming tech and gaming events that could feasibly be cut, and what each could mean.

Computex 2020

When: 2-6 June

Computex is the biggest show in the computing world every year, with everything from big name manufacturers like Dell and AMD to super niche products and wacky custom PC builds on display. 

But beyond the sheer scope of different computing products on display, Computex is historically a show where we see the biggest computing launches of the year. This year we're expecting AMD Ryzen 4000 processors for mobile along with a load of the best Ultrabooks we'll see over the next year or so. 

Now, though, we're starting to see a lot of conferences being cancelled, even E3, which is all the way in June, the week after Computex is scheduled to go through. Especially considering that Computex is traditionally held in Taipei, which is just a short plane flight from Wuhan, we could see the show being delayed or cancelled. 

However, according to a statement from Walter M.S. Yeh, CEO of TAITRA – the organization behind Computex – Taiwan is perfectly safe, and measures have been put in place across the entire country to make sure both visitors and residents are completely safe.

The impact: Computex is without a doubt the most important show in the computing world, as there are so many smaller manufacturers that are both trying to get their name out there and looking for industry buyers. 

If Computex does get pushed back or cancelled, huge manufacturers like AMD, Nvidia, Dell and HP will be fine – they have the resources to make huge launches on their own. But, on the lower end of the industry, it could have a larger impact. 

IFA 2020

When: 4-9 September

IFA is still arguably Europe’s biggest tech show, and although it’s a few months away, the sheer scale of the Berlin conference means attendees and vendors will need plenty of warning if it’s not going ahead. 

As of writing, IFA is still full steam ahead, and with a hugely unclear future in terms of the spread of the virus, it's impossible to say whether events in the summer will still be vulnerable.

The impact: Cancellation of this show could be pretty heavy. Like MWC, IFA is a bit of a mixed bag in terms of importance to the industry. It’s become less relevant over the years as major companies have chosen to make their big announcements outside of the show. 

Even Samsung, the usual headline act in Berlin, makes less of a splash at its annual IFA press conference. That is, unless you’re mad about connected fridges, in which case you could be in for a bad September.

The iPhone launch

When: (likely) 8 September

Looking even further ahead, the failure to contain COVID-19 could spell a move for Apple’s hardware event – its biggest of the year. It’s here where the iPhone 12 and Apple Watch 6 will certainly be unveiled, among other things. Again, 5G could play a major role if Apple finally embraces it on the iPhone 12.

The impact: This is a big one, and for reasons different to WWDC. Apple’s fall hardware event has become a product itself, and without an audience of baying fans and tech journalists poised to dry-run its products, it won’t generate the same amount of buzz.

If it is canceled, we expect the company to still livestream the big reveals, while Apple might seed products directly with journalists straight after the event in order to generate those important hands-on previews which drive momentum to the on-sale date.

However, an Apple event is no good without products. Foxconn, Apple’s primary iPhone assembler, had to reduce its output in the wake of the coronavirus outbreak, although at the time of writing has ramped its efforts back up as China slows the spread of COVID-19.

But even if production is running smoothly by the fall, Digitimes reports that Apple’s self-imposed travel restrictions are delaying testing of the new iPhone, which could cause the announcement to be pushed back.

So, what now? 

Right now, it’s impossible to calculate the impact these canceled conferences will have; in some cases the ramifications could ripple through the industry for years to come, but others will matter less.

Carolina Milanesi, Principal Analyst at Creative Strategies, attends many of the conferences mentioned above. For developer conferences, she believes the cancellations won’t be a huge issue for companies. “Because the number of developers attending is usually a fraction of the overall base, these events always have digital sessions available,” she tells TechRadar. 

“Of course developers who were supposed to attend will miss the hands on and the social side of getting together to learn from each other.”

It is, however, the response of the markets as a result of this year’s events that could have the most harmful long-term effects. “Overall I think the ramifications of the coronavirus will go beyond supply chain and events,” says Milanesi.

“We will see an impact on demand coming from a weaker consumer confidence as well as a repurposing disposable income.”

Going into CES 2020, we predicted that smart hearables would be a big trend of this year’s show. Not to blow our own trumpet too much, but we were absolutely, inarguably bang on the money. 

We’re not talking about your latest pair of Sennheisers, but true wireless headphones on steroids; those that go beyond bass and treble and into the territory of smart features and even assistive hearing.

In 2017 a new law was passed allowing hearing aid-type devices to be sold over the counter, rather than having to go through a licenced medical professional. This has opened the door for tech companies to swoop in and market earbuds that act as hearing enhancement devices as well as streaming music. And at CES, they came in droves.

We wrapped our hands (and ears) around some of the most interesting smart hearables at CES 2020. Here are the ones that stuck out for us.

Nuheara IQbuds2 Max

At CES, the smart hearing company Nuheara unveiled its latest creation, a pair of headphones that use AI to calibrate the sound to your personal profile (pictured above). During setup you’ll be prompted to conduct a NAL-NL2 hearing test in order to assess your hearing and determine how the earbuds should be tuned.

There’s active noise cancellation and Nuheara deploys its Speech in Noise Control to enhance speech in noisy environments, with three microphones to analyze sound inside and outside of the ear.

Finally, Nuheara boasts that they’re also great for music listening, and having tested its previous headphones we’re inclined to believe it.

Olive Smart Ear X

Olive Smart Ear currently exists as a single earbud, but at CES the company revealed it’s working on a headphone pair called the Smart Ear X, set to launch later in the year. Olive is designed to help those with hearing loss while removing the stigma that comes with hearing aids, but it can also benefit people who wouldn’t otherwise wear an aid at all. 

The earbud will filter out disturbing background noises, while the app lets you switch between different modes - one for conversations and another for watching TV. The existing Smart Ear can also be used for taking calls, but the Ear X will have two earbuds so you can also listen to music.

Amazfit Zenbuds

Huami announced two pairs of headphones at CES. The first were the PowerBuds, which offer heart rate monitoring and - so says Huami - stellar sound. But we’re more interested in the Zenbuds which will try to succeed where Bose’s noise-masking sleepbuds failed. 

With a snug in-ear design, the Zenbuds will block outside noise and play gentle sounds to soothe you into sleep. Huami says that the earbuds will actually stop playing sounds once you drift off, which it will presumably know from using the heart rate sensor. Said sensor will keep tracking your heart rate through the night, while the sleep position monitor does exactly what you think. Oh, and once it’s all over there’s a gentle alarm tone to wake you. 

They’ll be available later this year, and expect them to come in at a good price.

Lizn

Lizn is another hearing enhancement company, but one that’s gunning for all ears. Its ‘hearpieces’ are designed to “improve your face to face communications” by filtering out background noise and giving conversations more clarity. On top of that, they can play music and give you access to Siri/Google Assistant.

The earbuds are pretty discreet and come in black, red, or “Caffe Latte” color variants. We got to see them working on the show floor, so they’re well beyond concept stage. In fact, the company is taking pre-orders now with an estimated shipping time of February or March this year. They cost $149, which isn’t bad at all.

Mobvoi TicPods 2

One of the less “smart” devices on our list, the TicPods 2 still try to go beyond your average earbuds. They look very similar to Apple’s AirPods and similarly come in Pro and non-Pro variants. We got to try the new Pro model at the show, and most of the smarts lie in the assistant and gesture controls. 

Tico, Mobvoi’s assistant that can be woken with a “Hey Tico,” is pretty rudimentary as far as assistants go; good for answering calls and other minor things, but it isn’t smart in the same way Alexa is. It does however also function as a direct line to your phone’s smart assistant. So iPhone owners need to say “Hey Tico” and Siri will wake up. Yeah, it’s a little confusing.

There are some gesture controls too: nod your head twice to answer a call or shake it twice to reject it. It feels a little silly, but Mobvoi says Tico can also be called on to answer calls. The best bit is the price: $99 for the TicPods 2 and $139 for the TicPods Pro.

Eargo

Among the hearing tech companies we spoke to at CES, there was an interesting point of diversion: should hearing enhancement buds be made to look more like hearing aids or less? Some believe it should be about making these devices as small and discreet as possible; for others, making them look larger and more like headphones wipes away some of the stigma that comes with wearing a hearing-assistive device.

Eargo falls into the former camp, but to an almost ridiculous degree. These things actually disappear into the ear canal so they’re very hard to spot. The latest model, shown off at CES, is the Eargo Neo HiFi and costs a whopping $3,000. However, that’s because Eargo claims this is a more serious hearing device, one that’s fully personalized to your habits and lifestyle. The company says that with the charging case, these can run for up to a week of power.

• Best true wireless earbuds: the best in-ears you can get today

The break of a new decade is almost upon us, and with it will come new wearables.

Gartner forecasts that spending on wearables will hit $51.5 billion next year, with smartwatches leading the pack. 

Wearable tech is only going to keep growing, and in 2020 we expect to see several major new devices from key players in this space.

In fact, there are a few we can already be sure of. Below, we’ve rounded up a few devices we expect to get our hands on next year – and a couple we’re just praying we might.

A Wear OS watch that doesn’t suck

Wear OS watches on the whole don't make the most of the platform, and so Google should be leading by example – an example that could perhaps come in the form of a Pixel Watch.

A Google Watch has never materialized, as the company has instead leaned on its OEM partners to build on the Wear OS platform. But unless something changes soon, Google’s going to cede the remaining part of its smartwatch share to Apple and its other rivals. 

The Pixel Watch may not come in 2020 – or ever – but this is the year for Google to change gears in wearables. It did just announce it will acquire Fitbit for a cool $2.1 billion, and earlier this year struck up a deal with Fossil to acquire hybrid smartwatch tech and engineering talent. What we’re saying is, Google is decidedly interested in this space.

We’d love to see it finally build a smartwatch of its own, if only to give the entire Wear OS industry some sort of leader device to work from, but if we don’t get the Pixel Watch in 2020, is it possible we’ll see the first Fitbit running Wear OS?

Samsung Galaxy Watch 2

Samsung’s smartwatch release cadence is all over the place right now: it launched the Galaxy Watch in August 2018, then the Watch Active in February this year, then followed it with the Watch Active 2 in September. Taking that into consideration, it’s anyone’s guess when Samsung may launch another smartwatch, but there’s a chance we could even get something alongside the Galaxy S11 in February 2020 (although we think August is a safer bet).

Watch Active 2 wearers are still waiting on the ECG, a headline feature that won’t be switched on until Samsung obtains FDA clearance. But there’s plenty more Samsung can be doing to keep up in this race, and the company sees a lot of potential in deeper health features such as body composition tracking. 

Here’s what we think we know: the Watch 2 is codenamed “Renaissance,” which ostensibly hints as some sort of rebirthing of the Galaxy smartwatch entirely. Of course, there’s a good chance we’re reading too much into that.

• Everything we've heard about the Samsung Galaxy Watch 2

Apple Watch 6

Sure as clockwork, the Apple Watch 6 will arrive next year, but as of writing very little about the next smartwatch has leaked out. Okay, one leak has popped up: analyst/industry soothsayer Ming-Chi Kuo predicts the next watch will have faster speeds, better water resistance, and improved wireless connectivity.

All of which would be great, but none of which would be strong enough to hang the Series 6 off; it needs an ace in the hole. The Apple Watch 4 had an AKG (and new design). The Apple Watch 5 had an always-on display. What will be the Series 6’s big feature?

A two-day battery would be good, but the big rumor right now is sleep tracking. There have been hints that Apple is working on the feature, one that Fitbit and others have long offered. Hope for a round Apple Watch refuse to die, but beyond patents there’s been no sense that Apple is taking the idea more seriously.

• What we know about the Apple Watch 6

The next big accessible VR headset

Facebook has done a lot of work in making VR accessible this year, and we expect it to keep chugging along in 2020. Expect at least one more Oculus headset next year, and if we had to ask for one specifically, it would be an upgrade for the Oculus Go, which is looking a little long in the tooth next to the Quest and Rift S.

However, Sony could also be the one to deliver the next great VR headset that keeps a low barrier of entry. With the PlayStation 5 set to arrive next year, speculation around a PlayStation VR 2 headset is rife, and although Sony has shot down ideas of a new VR system launching alongside the new console, we wouldn’t be surprised if one follows shortly after. 

We could, at the very least, get a teaser for something next year, particularly as Sony may be keen to capitalize on Microsoft’s decision to snub VR with the Xbox Series X.

Snap Spectacles 4

There's an increasing interest in how Snap is using its video-recording glasses as a way to communicate. What started out as a buzzy influencer-tempting toy has evolved into a mock-up for the future of face-worn AR. 

The latest version, launched this year, added a second camera for depth perception, opening up all sorts of interesting 3D effects that could be mapped onto the world around the user.

Snap CEO Evan Spiegel is both bullish and realistic about AR: he recognizes that AR glasses are a way off, but the company seems intent on pushing ahead regardless, and I’m excited to see what the next step looks like.

North Focals 2.0

The first Focals AR glasses from North gave us the odd glimmer of what real AR glasses might look like, but they were too compromised by fiddly controls and unreliable apps. The company has now ended production of its first glasses and announced the Focals 2.0 for 2020.

They’ll bring a higher-resolution display and thinner temples, according to the company, which hasn’t revealed anything else besides a teaser photo. Hopefully these will prove more of a success than the first. The company hasn’t revealed how many of the first-gen units it sold, but it reduced the price down from $1000 to $600 and laid off 150 employees earlier this year.

Without wanting to end this on a bad note, we really are excited to see what North brings in its next pair of glasses. It does, after all, understand one fundamental truth about smartglasses: they shouldn’t make you look like a dork. 

Wildcard option: Apple AR Glasses

There’d be a nice synchronism in Apple launching its first smartglasses in 2020, as reports have claimed, but having tried out just about every and any AR headset we could get ours hands on for the past five years, we've been skeptical.

Sure enough, The Information now plots 2022 as the launch date for Apple’s first headset, with smaller glasses to follow a year later. 

This seems more reasonable, but nonetheless we’re including Apple’s glasses as our wildcard option on the off chance the company even teases them next year. Considering how much time Apple may need to get developers building great things for AR glasses, such an early reveal isn’t outside the realm of possibility.

• What we know about Apple AR Glasses

This feature was originally published in 2015 in time for the release of Spectre, the fourth Daniel Craig Bond film. To celebrate the full trailer of his next outing as Bond, No Time To Die, we present this feature again. 

Poor Q. The guy dedicates his time to building some of the most impressive contraptions the world has ever seen, only for some sleazy, misogynistic know-it-all from "upstairs" to waltz in and start breaking things. Rewatching only Q's scenes from the entire Bond franchise, I've come to fully understand why the Quartermaster is always so grumpy. James Bond is a dick.

There's no doubt that, without Q, Bond would have been dead long before the credits rolled in From Russia with Love. Funny how there's always a gadget perfectly suited to every situation Bond finds himself in – it's almost as if they're plot points.

But for every gadget that saves Bond's life there's one that didn't make it into the field. Here's a list of the best devices which remained stuck in Q Branch.

1. Deadly umbrella (For Your Eyes Only)

What is it? An umbrella with deadly spikes that will close on and kill the holder the moment it gets wet.

How would Bond use it? By carefully replacing Blofeld's brolly with this more deadly alternative, and then praying for rain. "Torrential pain," he'd joke to himself in the 1/100000 eventuality the plan works.

2. Radioactive lint (On Her Majesty's Secret Service)

What is it? A piece of lint that can be placed in an item of clothing and used to track a suspect.

How would Bond use it? 007 creates a secret identity as Bames Jond, the travelling tailor who "just happened to be in the area" of Blofeld's secret lair and wondered if he wanted a fitting. Don't worry, he's wearing a fake twizzly mustache to keep his real identity under wraps. Suits you, sir.

3. Deadly tea tray (The Spy Who Loved Me)

What is it? A sharp tray that hovers just above a surface (presumably using magnets), which can be fired at a great speed to decapitate some unfortunate at the other end of the table.

How would Bond use it? In the classic dinner scene where Bond and the villain enjoy the "last supper" before some diabolical scheme takes place. "It was good to ketchup" Bond quips with a raised eyebrow, after sending the tray hurling towards his foe at 100mph.

4. Deadly door (Octopussy)

What is it? A door decorated with deadly spikes (again). Try to use the knocker and you'll be crushed flat.

How would Bond use it? In his most elaborate plan yet, Bond goes on Come Di(n)e With Me to catch the villain. "I score you a seven out of… dead," he probably jokes when his guest comes knocking.

5. Shisha gun (The Spy Who Loved Me)

What is it? A sheesha pipe that doubles as a machine gun. Not subtle. In the James Bond universe, if something's even remotely phallic you can assume it's some sort of gun.

How would Bond use it? The Spectre employees became increasingly suspicious about that Facebook event invite to James Bond's 'tea and sheesha party'. But the past few months had been tough – British intelligence was creating obstacles at every turn, the economy was in bad shape, and nobody was investing in the company's kickstarter campaigns anymore – so a party sounded like a good way to unwind. They just hoped it wasn't one that ended with Roger Moore quipping "Don't be chai" and blowing them all up with a teapot.

6. Killer cast (For Your Eyes Only)

What is it? An arm cast that swings 180 degrees outward at a ferocious speed.

How would Bond use it? He'd tell the villain that he's got a really big secret but they have to come really close so he can whisper it in their ear. Or he could just ask Jaws to kindly sign it, only for the gadget to swing into action and smash him in his metal teeth.

7. Bagpipe gun (The World Is Not Enough)

What is it? A set of bagpipes that doubles as a flamethrower.

How would Bond use it? Hardcore fans of the Bond franchise will know that Ian Fleming's spy is half Scottish, meaning he's got a good excuse for having bagpipes on him at all times. "Pipe down," he'd say as he blasted his enemies away – but quietly under his breath, because he doesn't want anyone to point out that Q made the same joke at the start of The World Is Not Enough.

8. Spring stool (The Spy Who Loved Me)

What is it? It looks like a stool. You sit on it. It goes 'boioioioioioing' as it launches you into the air.

How would Bond use it? Probably to play a prank on M at the Christmas party, thoroughly underestimating its strength as the spring launches her through the ceiling of the MI6 headquarters.

9. Extending rope (Octopussy)

What is it? This is actually just the classic Indian rope trick, except Q's prototype breaks so it isn't even as good as the real thing.

How would Bond use it? Strapped for cash and stranded in Egypt all alone after women around the world unanimously agree he's a terrible person, James could perform for admiring crowds to raise money for a flight back to London, and maybe a kebab.

10. Swallowing sofa (The Living Daylights)

What is it? A sofa that swallows anyone who sits on it.

How would Bond use it? With its fast-acting mechanism, this could help Bond camouflage himself on the field in a flash. "When did we get a new sofa?" Blofeld would ask his henchmen, before loudly announcing the exact details of his plans for world domination while stroking his cat. "Sofa so good," Bond whispers under his breath, scribbling down the bomb codes on a piece of paper from inside the chair.

11. Explosive alarm clock (Licence to Kill)

What is it? An unassuming alarm clock that explodes like a grenade when it's time to wake up.

How would Bond use it? Erm, a novelty grenade? A shoehorned plot device so that he can say "time flies" as he hurls it at an enemy? We can't see any way this could be used that doesn't end up with Bond accidentally blowing himself up.

12. Rocket leg cast (GoldenEye)

What is it? A leg cast that's actually an explosive rocket.

How would Bond use it? This is the spy's ultimate leg-over: Bond would use it to infiltrate the infirmary where Blofeld is recovering after his last run-in with MI6, perhaps combining it with the arm cast for maximum effect.

13. Electromagnetic ring (Diamonds Are Forever)

What is it? The electromagnetic RPM (revolutions per minute) controller. A small amount of pressure can cause the cylinders inside a fruit machine to stutter, making it easy to line up those sweet 7s.

How would Bond use it? We imagine this is the kind of device that would help Bond out in a number of possible scenarios involving deadly machinery. But he'd probably just use it to gamble, or to unhook a bra. Typical.

14. Phone box airbag (GoldenEye)

What is it? An airbag that inflates inside a phone box, immobilising any poor individual who steps in to make a call.

How would Bond use it? 007 has cunningly jammed all mobile phone towers in the nearby area, meaning Blofeld can no longer order his cronies around via their usual WhatsApp group. He'll have to find the nearest pay phone – conveniently, one was installed only two days ago just a few meters from his volcano lair, although strangely the area code is +44 07.

15. Tear gas parking meter (Goldfinger)

What is it? A parking meter that spurts out tear gas.

How would Bond use it? Retired from MI6, a jobbing 007 turns up as a traffic warden with a killer streak. Not content with handing out fines, he now unleashes a cloud of gas on those who attempt to put coins in his parking meter, cackling "That'll teach you for stepping on the gas."

16. Q's sandwich (GoldenEye)

What is it? Q's lunch – or so he claims. Nice try Q, but we're not falling for that classic. This thing is loaded with more than baloney.

How would Bond use it? By disguising himself as a Subway employee, and luring in Goldfinger with that delicious smell they always pump outside. "Eat dead," he quips, handing Auric the meatball sub before making a dive over the counter.