Ming-Chi Kuo Says Coronavirus Outbreak Impacting iPhone Supply, Lowers Shipment Forecast

Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo has lowered his iPhone shipment forecast by 10 percent to 36-40 million units in the first quarter of 2020, noting that the Wuhan coronavirus outbreak is affecting iPhone supply in China.

For example, multiple reports have indicated that assembly of the rumored "iPhone 9" or "iPhone SE 2" could be disrupted. The lower-cost device, expected to be a revamped version of the iPhone 8, was rumored to enter mass production in February ahead of a March release. Apple could still announce the device in March, but initial supply could be limited until production can ramp up.

iphone11proguide b
In his research note with TF International Securities, seen by MacRumors, Kuo added that smartphone shipments in the Chinese market declined by 50-60 percent year-over-year during the Chinese New Year holiday period, possibly due to declining consumer confidence in the country stemming from the coronavirus outbreak.

Out of an abundance of caution, Apple said it has closed all of its corporate offices, stores, and contact centers in mainland China through at least February 9 due to the coronavirus outbreak.

Earlier this week, the World Health Organization declared the Wuhan coronavirus outbreak a global public health emergency. More information about the virus and how to protect yourself is available on its website.

Related Roundup: iPhone SE
Buyer's Guide: iPhone SE (Caution)
Related Forum: iPhone

Top Rated Comments

dannyyankou Avatar
55 months ago
Reminder that the flu kills 36,000 Americans every year.
Score: 15 Votes (Like | Disagree)
480951 Avatar
55 months ago

Reminder that the flu kills 36,000 Americans every year.
Reminder that the WHO doesn't declare a global emergency for the normal flu and China doesn't normally quarantine cities of 36 million (while building two hospitals on site) for the normal flu either. That stat means nothing as well without comparing survival rates among those affected, of which the coronavirus is (currently) around 6-10x more lethal. You're also comparing an entire years stats to roughly a month.

I keep seeing this stat posted but I'll trust the scientists, epidemiologists and those in power at the WHO/CDC clearly stating this is a problem over internet commenters.
Score: 12 Votes (Like | Disagree)
MacLawyer Avatar
55 months ago
This is a terrible development for victims and their families. I can wait a bit for iPhone SE. Get better folks.
Score: 11 Votes (Like | Disagree)
ryanwarsaw Avatar
55 months ago

Worst case scenario for AAPL:

NO 2020 iPhones are produced in China this year.

If that happens, the stock will drop by more than 2/3, & trade under $100/share.
I just closed my entire position on AAPL based on your post. I shall wait until the stock goes below $100 before jumping back in.
Score: 10 Votes (Like | Disagree)
now i see it Avatar
55 months ago
with the extremely close living quarters in the dorms at some assembly places, I suspect we haven't even begun to see the impact of this horrible scourge
Score: 6 Votes (Like | Disagree)
EVGabe Avatar
55 months ago
This is why it's a bad idea to have a huge portion of your supply chain in one place. I hope this will prompt Apple to shift at least some of the supply chain to places like Taiwan, Vietnam, India, or maybe even the United States!

Especially the US. Apple has more than enough cash on hand to do so.
Score: 4 Votes (Like | Disagree)

Popular Stories

iOS 18 Siri Integrated Feature

iOS 18 Rumored to Add These 10 New Features to Your iPhone

Wednesday April 24, 2024 2:05 pm PDT by
Apple is set to unveil iOS 18 during its WWDC keynote on June 10, so the software update is a little over six weeks away from being announced. Below, we recap rumored features and changes planned for the iPhone with iOS 18. iOS 18 will reportedly be the "biggest" update in the iPhone's history, with new ChatGPT-inspired generative AI features, a more customizable Home Screen, and much more....
apple id account

Apple ID Accounts Logging Out Users and Requiring Password Reset

Saturday April 27, 2024 12:41 am PDT by
There are widespread reports of Apple users being locked out of their Apple ID overnight for no apparent reason, requiring a password reset before they can log in again. Users say the sudden inexplicable Apple ID sign-out is occurring across multiple devices. When they attempt to sign in again they are locked out of their account and asked to reset their password in order to regain access. ...
macos sonoma feature purple green

Apple's Regular Mac Base RAM Boosts Ended When Tim Cook Took Over

Friday April 26, 2024 6:34 am PDT by
Apple used to regularly increase the base memory of its Macs up until 2011, the same year Tim Cook was appointed CEO, charts posted on Mastodon by David Schaub show. Earlier this year, Schaub generated two charts: One showing the base memory capacities of Apple's all-in-one Macs from 1984 onwards, and a second depicting Apple's consumer laptop base RAM from 1999 onwards. Both charts were...
maxresdefault

The MacRumors Show: Apple's iPad Event Finally Announced!

Friday April 26, 2024 8:31 am PDT by
On this week's episode of The MacRumors Show, we discuss the announcement of Apple's upcoming "Let loose" event, where the company is widely expected to announce new iPad models and accessories. Subscribe to The MacRumors Show YouTube channel for more videos Apple's event invite shows an artistic render of an Apple Pencil, suggesting that iPads will be a focus of the event. Apple CEO Tim...
ipad pro 2022

Apple Event Rumors: iPad Pro With M4 Chip and New Apple Pencil With Haptic Feedback

Sunday April 28, 2024 6:19 am PDT by
In his Power On newsletter today, Bloomberg's Mark Gurman outlined some of the new products he expects Apple to announce at its "Let Loose" event on May 7. First, Gurman now believes there is a "strong possibility" that the upcoming iPad Pro models will be equipped with Apple's next-generation M4 chip, rather than the M3 chip that debuted in the MacBook Pro and iMac six months ago. He said a ...
maxresdefault

Apple Announces 'Let Loose' Event on May 7 Amid Rumors of New iPads

Tuesday April 23, 2024 7:11 am PDT by
Apple has announced it will be holding a special event on Tuesday, May 7 at 7 a.m. Pacific Time (10 a.m. Eastern Time), with a live stream to be available on Apple.com and on YouTube as usual. The event invitation has a tagline of "Let Loose" and shows an artistic render of an Apple Pencil, suggesting that iPads will be a focus of the event. Subscribe to the MacRumors YouTube channel for more ...