Coronavirus having ‘fairly small impact’ on key iPhone supplier Foxconn
Chinese iPhone supplier Foxconn has said the deadly coronavirus outbreak is having a “fairly small impact” on production amid fears that suppliers may struggle to meet demand for Apple’s low-cost ‘iPhone 9’ expected to be announced as early as next month.
Reuters claim that although the impact on production is low now, if the Chinese government forces factories to remain closed for an additional week or longer, it could hit manufacturing “big”.
The report comes after leading Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo cut his estimated iPhone shipments for the first quarter of 2020 by 10 percent to 36-40 million units, warning of the potential effect the virus outbreak could wreak on Apple’s supply chain.
As a result of the virus, Apple has closed its retail stores and offices in mainland China after receiving advice from leading health experts.