Coronavirus makes iPhone and Android cellphone sales drop quite dramatically, especially in China. The outbreak apparently hampered demand for smartphones.
China is very strict indeed to limit travel or crowds of people. No doubt, the local cellphone shop is also empty of buyers.
Apple Store in China was briefly closed for at least 2 weeks when the coronavirus outbreak peaked in February 2020.
Citing Reuters, iPhone shipments only reach 494 thousand units in February 2019. And in January, sales of the iPhone is still 2 million units.
According to data from the China Academy of Information and Communications Technology (CAICT), total sales of mobile phones in China dominated by Android only reached 6.34 million units last month. That number dropped 54.7% compared to February last year.
Canalys and IDC research bureaus had previously estimated that total smartphone shipments would drop by 40% in the first quarter of 2020 due to supply and demand disruptions due to the coronavirus.
However, the situation is predicted to improve. “Even though it’s not good right now, we think it’s just a shock event and it won’t last long,” said Daniel Ives, an analyst at Wedbush.