An analysis of the likely tech industry impact of the coronavirus outbreak says that smartphone sales are this quarter likely to sink to their lowest level in five years. Apple yesterday announced that it would not hit its own guidance for the quarter.
A separate report suggests that Samsung may be best-placed to weather the storm thanks to its main manufacturing base being outside China…
The announcement that Apple will not hit even the lower end of its guidance for the current quarter has seen AAPL down more than 3% in pre-market trading.
At the time of writing, the stock is down by more than $11, a 3.5% drop on yesterday’s close…
Following Apple’s update for investors earlier this afternoon, Tim Cook has sent a memo to employees further addressing the coronavirus situation. In the memo, obtained by Bloomberg, Cook explains that Apple’s “return to normal” has been slower than anticipated.
Apple has shared an investor update this afternoon focused on the guidance it provided for Q2 2020. Due to the ongoing coronavirus outbreak, Apple says it won’t hit the March revenue guidance numbers it provided.
A supply-chain report predicts that laptop production in China will be severely hit by the coronavirus outbreak and that global shipments for this quarter will be down by anything between 29% and 36%.
Quanta, which makes most of Apple’s MacBook Air and MacBook Pro models, has contingency plans in place, but these are not expected to be sufficient…
In a more curious example of how iPhone is involved with the coronavirus outbreak, the Japanese Ministry of Health is set to hand out over 2000 iPhones to passengers stuck onboard a Princess cruise ship near Japan.
Five Chinese Apple Stores will re-open tomorrow, February 14, after an extended closure due to the coronavirus outbreak.
The websites of all five Beijing stores show that they remain closed today but will re-open tomorrow, initially with limited hours…
Foxconn has denied a report which claimed to describe its iPhone production targets as it struggles to deal with disruption caused by the coronavirus outbreak.
Reuters had claimed that chairman Liu Young-Way was aiming to be at 50% of normal production levels by the end of this month, and 80% in March…
The World Health Organization has put concerns over iPhone production into context by declaring that the coronavirus is now humanity’s greatest threat.
Initially thought to be less deadly than the SARS outbreak which killed 774 people across 2002 and 2003, the WHO now says that the death toll from the coronavirus is already well in excess of this…
A coronavirus app created by the Chinese government lets people check whether they have been in close contact with someone confirmed or suspected to have the virus.
The app is made possible because of close government monitoring of Chinese citizens…
The latest estimate of the true wireless in-ear headphones market shows that Apple’s AirPods continue to dominate the market, with a 47% market share across 2019.
Second place was shared by Xiaomi and Samsung, who weren’t even close …
The impact of the coronavirus on Apple suppliers continues into a second week, with Foxconn’s biggest iPhone plants severely hit.
One plant has been banned from re-opening by the government, while only 10% of the company’s workforce has turned up to a second one…
Local Chinese authorities are refuting a report from yesterday, which said that they had told Foxconn it that could not open its iPhone production factories on February 10 like previously scheduled. Reuters reports today that Shenzhen authorities are still conducting checks and have yet to make a final decision. Reliable Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo is also out today with a new investor note detailing the effect of coronavirus on Apple’s production.
We learned earlier this morning via an email to Apple employees affected by the store and office closures due to coronavirus that the re-opening date of February 10 would likely be pushed back. Now Apple has shared more details that the new plan is to open most stores and offices late next week (via Bloomberg).
Foxconn has announced that its headquarters, and one of its iPhone plants, will not re-open on February 10. Monday was scheduled to be the date on which Chinese businesses would resume operations after an extended break to limit the spread of the coronavirus.
The news comes on the same day that we learn Apple Stores in China are also unlikely to re-open on this date…
Apple Stores in China were closed on February 1st in response to the coronavirus, with the company stating that they would remain so through February 9. Store webpages say that they will re-open on Monday, but a memo to local staff from retail and people head Deidre O’Brien suggests this is now unlikely.
The Chinese government had suggested February 10 as the date on which businesses would resume operations, but it appears Apple may take a two-stage approach…
Apple’s plan to ramp up AirPods production could be delayed due to the coronavirus outbreak. Nikkei Asian Review reports today that Apple’s three primary AirPods manufacturers, Luxshare, Goertek, and Inventec, have all halted AirPods production.
Foxconn has announced plans to quarantine iPhone workers when they return to work on February 10, in an effort to limit the spread of the coronavirus.
The company’s biggest factory is in Zhengzhou, in the Henan province, some 300 miles from Wuhan, where the outbreak began…
Major Apple suppliers say that they currently plan to resume production in China on February 10.
Most large Chinese companies have extended the Chinese new year holiday in order to limit the spread of the coronavirus. February 10 is the government’s target date to re-open factories and re-start production…
Apple may be in a for bumpy ride when it comes to iPhone production, if the Chinese factory halt due to the coronavirus is extended another week. Almost all Foxconn production is currently shut down until February 10, in accordance with government rules, and the key Apple supply chain partner is waiting to hear if the date will be extended.
Reuters says that Foxconn shipments to Apple will be disrupted if that happens, according to a person familiar with the matter.
Uber has alerted some of its users to a possible coronavirus exposure, and in doing so, has given us an interesting glimpse into a future where technology might help fight epidemics and pandemics…
Reliable analyst Ming-Chi Kuo is out with a new note today that includes a prediction for exactly how much coronavirus will impact iPhone shipments for the current quarter, as well as how the entire smartphone market might be affected for the first half of the year.
Apple announced this morning that it is closing all retail stores and corporate offices in mainland China as a precautionary measure due to current coronavirus situation.
In a statement to Bloomberg, Apple said its thoughts are with those affected and its decision to temporarily close stores is based on the latest advice from health experts.
Apple A-series chip supplier TSMC has said that production in its Chinese facilities remains on track despite the coronavirus outbreak impacting output at a number of factories in the country…