In February, global smartphone sales plummeted 14% as the COVID-19 coronavirus spread in China and overseas, Counterpoint Research said on Thursday, with more declines expected as the pandemic hits many more parts of the world outside of China, the source of the virus.
The outbreak prompted Apple Inc and other smartphone makers to shut their China stores in February and government data suggests Apple sold less than 500,000 smartphones in the mainland Chinese market during the month.
China, which saw sales drop 38% in February from a year earlier, is now showing signs of recovery with many stores re-opening in mid-March.
There are also signs of recovery in South Korea, but for other parts of the world, “the worst is yet to come,” said Jean Park, a senior analyst at Counterpoint.
MacDailyNews Take: Obviously everyone expected smartphone sales to fall, but the fact that we’re seeing signs of recovery in countries hit early by the coronavirus is the light at the end of the tunnel!
