Coronavirus outbreak may lead to 10% drop in iPhone shipments: Analyst

San Francisco: The rapid spread of the novel coronavirus may adversely affect Apple’s supply chain, leading to a 10 per cent drop in iPhone shipments in the first quarter of 2020, according to a forecast by top Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo.

In a note to investors, Kuo’s firm TF international Securities said it is still not clear if the coronavirus impact will hurt iPhone shipments in the second quarter of this year.

“Our latest survey indicates that the iPhone supply is being affected by the coronavirus and, therefore, we cut the iPhone shipment forecasts by 10 per cent to 36-40 mn units in 1Q20,” Kuo said in the note on Monday.