Global smartphone shipments fell 38 percent year-over-year in February due to COVID-19, which is the biggest decrease ever recorded.
U.S. research firm Strategy Analytics found that only 61.8 million units were shipped in February, compared to the 99.2 million units reported in the same month in 2019.
This shouldn’t come as a surprise as many tech giants, including Apple, warned investors and consumers that COVID-19 would have an impact on production and sales.
“Smartphone demand collapsed in Asia last month, due to the COVID-19 outbreak, and this dragged down shipments across the world. Some Asian factories were unable to manufacture smartphones, while many consumers were unable or unwilling to visit retail stores and buy new devices,” the firm explained.
There were many reports of factories shutting down in some countries after employees had tested positive for COVID-19. These shutdowns have noticeably impacted the smartphone market.
It doesn’t seem like March will be any better, as the virus is spreading across North America and Europe and causing store closures and wary customers.
As with many other markets, the next few months will be filled with uncertainty in terms of the smartphone industry.
Source: Strategy Analytics Via: Engadget
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