Apple’s iPhone shipments plunged more than 60% last month, according to official Chinese data, as the coronavirus forced the US technology giant to close stores in the world’s largest smartphone market.
Shipments dropped to about 494 600 units from year-earlier levels, according to Bloomberg calculations based on monthly data from the China Academy of Information and Communications Technology, a government thinktank. China’s February overall mobile phone shipments slid 56% year on year to 6.4 million units, said CAICT.
Apple has been reopening its retail stores in China, trying to rebound from a sales hit tied to the coronavirus. Towards the end of last month, 29 of 42 stores in the country had resumed operations. — (c) 2020 Bloomberg LP