Kuo: Coronavirus Outbreak Will Lead to iPhone Sales Declining 10% in Q1 2020

Due to the Coronavirus outbreak, analyst Ming-Chi Kuo has lowered his iPhone shipment forecast for the first quarter of 2020. He now believes Apple will ship 36–40 million iPhones — a 10% reduction from his original estimate.

The virus outbreak also makes it difficult to estimate the iPhone shipments for Q2 2020 as it is uncertain as to how long it will take for things to get back to normal.

Another report has also claimed that the Coronavirus outbreak could affect the production of the iPhone 9 or the iPhone SE 2. While Apple could still launch the iPhone 9 in March, the device could be in short supply initially.

In the note, Kuo also claims that the Coronavirus outbreak has led to smartphone shipments declining in China by around 50–60 percent YoY during the Chinese New Year. This decline in sales will particularly affect the Chinese smartphone OEMs.

As a precaution, Apple has already shut down all its retail stores and offices in China until at least February 9. The company could very well extend this date if required.

The Coronavirus outbreak will affect not only iPhone sales but other smartphone sales as well. Huawei’s smartphone shipments are likely the one that will suffer the most as China is its main market and its sales outside the region has declined due to the lack of access to Google Play Services.

Originally published at https://www.auedbaki.com.