The rapid spread of COVID-19 across the globe caused the slow down of production of various major companies because of temporary factory shutdown and lack of employee turnout. The Cupertino company Apple is among these companies affected by the COVID-19 outbreak. A new report claims that Apple is now diversifying orders for its ultra-wide angle lens since its major suppliers in Yujingguang are currently experiencing issues with production.
Apple Diversifying Wide-Angle Lens Production
The new report comes from Apple Insider, which recently got a hold of the research note of TFI Securities Analyst Ming-Chi Kuo. The Taiwan-based analyst believes that the company could only get between 30 and 40 percent of all orders with other manufacturers joining in the race. The analyst attributes this to the lower than the standard production levels because a lot of cities in China are under quarantine.
Moreover, the analyst thinks that the company might lose its exclusive distributorship for the premium Apple iPhones, particularly for the wide-angle lens of the iPhone 11. While the analyst does not say the reason for the company losing its exclusivity components, he notes that Daliguang would get some of the orders for the iPhone 12. Kuo thinks that Apple diversifying its deliveries could help the Cupertino based tech juggernaut in the event that one factory completely shuts down in the future.
Apple Optimistic Amid COVID-19
In a recent interview with Fox Business, Apple CEO Tim Cook revealed his optimism on the way China handles the COVID-19 outbreak. He noted that the number of cases are dramatically decreasing and some of their partners in the region are slowly returning to their normal operations. Cook also shared that some of its suppliers are already ramping up their production.
Apple also recently sent CareKit packages to its employees in China. Aside from facemasks, infrared thermometers, snacks, foods, and beverages, Apple employees also received a 10.2-inch iPad. In the letter to its employees shared on the microblogging site Weibo, Apple said that families could use the iPad to kill boredom or to let their children learn things online.
Earlier, at the company's shareholder meeting, Cook shared that its main priority amid the COVID-19 outbreak in China is the health and security of its people. The Apple CEO added that the energy of the company is on its people. Apple's thoughtfulness to its employees in China was profoundly appreciated by the employees and their families. Like all other companies, Apple also shut down some of its stores in the region.
