2014’s Mobile World Congress will technically be underway on February 24, i.e. next Monday, but since Samsung plans to unveil the Galaxy S5 then, all other MWC exhibitors are in danger of having their product announcements go completely unnoticed.
Which is why for some, MWC is to start early. Of course, taking the wraps off a glitzy smartphone or tablet on a Sunday is not incredibly wise either, but it’s all about damage control now. Besides, there are ways of building enough buzz to rocket into the limelight regardless of timing.
Mocking rivals used to be a sure bet for scoring media attention, only when done superficially, odds are it’s going to backfire. Enter Huawei, whose MWC teaser tries to come off as playful and tongue-in-cheek humorous, but it’s just awful.
It’s funny, sure, however not the good kind of funny. The 1-minute clip features a narrator, iPhone (?!), and Siri clone with a thick Asian accent. Three mystery devices to be showcased on Sunday, January 23, are hinted at with vague and not very important information (“new tablet with beautiful slim design”, “smartphone with amazing front camera”), sans a manufacturer’s name being mentioned.
In the end, our narrator asks if these are “Fruit or Somesung” (subtle), prompting the Siri clone to triumphantly answer they are Huawei, and “Huawei is ready to amaze the world again”. It’s like a Theater of the Absurd play.
In case anyone’s still interested, or at least curious, Huawei is rumored to bring the MediaPad X1 7.0 and MediaPad M1 8.0 slates at Barcelona’s mobile expo, as well as the octa-core Ascend D3 smartphone.
