Coronavirus outbreak in China is to blame.
Analyst Ming-Chi Kuo (Ming-Chi Kuo) lowered its forecast for iPhone shipments in the first quarter of 2020 by 10% to 36-40 million devices. The outbreak of coronavirus in Wuhan has greatly affected current sales and will continue to affect smartphone shipments for the foreseeable future.
Previously, there was information that the iPhone 9 production chain is likely to have problems due to a virus that forces many companies to close factories and stores. Ming-Chi Kuo confirms that the new affordable iPhone can indeed be announced in March this year, but starting deliveries will be very limited, since manufacturers will not be able to start mass production in the near future, as planned.
In his research report, the analyst added that the supply of smartphones in the Chinese market fell by 50-60% compared to the same period last year. Apple said yesterday that it was closing all offices and company stores in mainland China until February 9 due to an outbreak of coronavirus.
Earlier this week, the World Health Organization called the Wuhan coronavirus outbreak a global public health emergency.