Apple’s hugely-popular product may be hit by coronavirus

If there is any Apple product that has stood out in terms of its popularity in 2019 then it is the truly wireless headphones — the AirPods. Throughout the year, numerous reports by analysts and research agencies have described only the rise and rise of sales of Apple AirPods. However, it seems that even the mighty AirPods are not immune to the outbreak of the coronavirus.
As per a report by DigiTimes, Taiwan PCB makers that are part of the supply chain of AirPods series “are worried” about their shipments for Apple’s AirPods.
The report quotes industry sources that say that the suppliers of rigid-flex boards for AirPods 2 have weakened shipment momentum too because of “slow production resumption at downstream assemblers with operations in China.”
As per the report, since the assemblers had a limited workforce, they could only prioritise and ended up giving more to AirPods Pro and other higher-value Apple devices. This has led to a notable reduction in shipments of rigid-flex board suppliers for AirPods 2 including Unitech — that creates 40% of its revenues from such shipments.