Global Notebook Shipments in Q1 2020 Estimated to Decrease 29-36% Following Coronavirus Outbreak

Following reports of potential production delays on iPhone components and even shipping delays for products like the Mac Pro, DigiTimes reports today that global notebook shipments could fall up to 36 percent in the first quarter of 2020 due to the coronavirus outbreak.

macbook air trio transparent
This includes Apple supplier Quanta Computer, which produces Apple's MacBook line. Suppliers like Quanta have moved volume production to facilities in Taiwan to meet client needs, but a component shortage is believed to continue to affect shipment numbers. This shortage is due to suppliers who are prevented from going to work following the outbreak.

This component shortage is predicted to cause disruptions to the supply chain in March. Meanwhile, Quanta is said to be moving to accelerate volume production at its new facilities in Taiwan in order to fulfill rush shipments to its clients in the United States.

Previously, global notebook shipments were predicted to fall about 17 percent in Q1 2020, but that number has been increased to between 29 and 36 percent as of DigiTimes' latest research. "Severe labor and components shortages and stagnant logistics arising from the coronavirus outbreak are derailing supply chain in China, which commands over 90% of global notebook production."

Popular Stories

Aston Martin CarPlay Ultra Screen

Apple's CarPlay Ultra to Expand to These Vehicle Brands Later This Year

Sunday February 1, 2026 10:08 am PST by
Last year, Apple launched CarPlay Ultra, the long-awaited next-generation version of its CarPlay software system for vehicles. Nearly nine months later, CarPlay Ultra is still limited to Aston Martin's latest luxury vehicles, but that should change fairly soon. In May 2025, Apple said many other vehicle brands planned to offer CarPlay Ultra, including Hyundai, Kia, and Genesis. In his Powe...
Apple Logo Black

Apple Just Made Its Second-Biggest Acquisition Ever After Beats

Thursday January 29, 2026 10:07 am PST by
Apple today confirmed to Reuters that it has acquired Q.ai, an Israeli startup that is working on artificial intelligence technology for audio. Apple paid close to $2 billion for Q.ai, according to sources cited by the Financial Times. That would make this Apple's second-biggest acquisition ever, after it paid $3 billion for the popular headphone and audio brand Beats in 2014. Q.ai has...
Apple Logo Black

Apple's Next Launch is 'Imminent'

Sunday February 1, 2026 12:31 pm PST by
The calendar has turned to February, and a new report indicates that Apple's next product launch is "imminent," in the form of new MacBook Pro models. "All signs point to an imminent launch of next-generation MacBook Pros that retain the current form factor but deliver faster chips," Bloomberg's Mark Gurman said on Sunday. "I'm told the new models — code-named J714 and J716 — are slated...
14 inch MacBook Pro Keyboard

Apple Changes How You Order a Mac

Saturday January 31, 2026 10:51 am PST by
Apple recently updated its online store with a new ordering process for Macs, including the MacBook Air, MacBook Pro, iMac, Mac mini, Mac Studio, and Mac Pro. There used to be a handful of standard configurations available for each Mac, but now you must configure a Mac entirely from scratch on a feature-by-feature basis. In other words, ordering a new Mac now works much like ordering an...
Apple MacBook Pro M4 hero

New MacBook Pros Reportedly Launching Alongside macOS 26.3

Sunday February 1, 2026 5:42 am PST by
Apple is planning to launch new MacBook Pro models with M5 Pro and M5 Max chips alongside macOS 26.3, according to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman. "Apple's faster MacBook Pros are planned for the macOS 26.3 release cycle," wrote Gurman, in his Power On newsletter today. "I'm told the new models — code-named J714 and J716 — are slated for the macOS 26.3 software cycle, which runs from...

Top Rated Comments

levitynyc Avatar
78 months ago
This might indicate that maybe...just maybe we shouldn't be relying on China as hard as we do for their cheap labor.
Score: 11 Votes (Like | Disagree)
SteveJUAE Avatar
78 months ago
And some people think they don't buy Chinese phones and laptops LOL
Score: 4 Votes (Like | Disagree)
MRrainer Avatar
78 months ago
If you look around, most industries are scrambling to assess their exposure.
Some haven't heard from their suppliers in China for weeks. If they send mail or phone, they receive boiler-plate answers that all will be well and they start production next week (which may or may not be true).

For fear of repercussions, nobody wants to diverge from the party-line over phone or email.

It could very well be the Black Swan, the straw that broke the camel's back, that ends up sending us down the rabbit-hole of a very deep recession.

Tesla's Shanghai Gigafactory seems to start producing again, they have workers there at least. So that's a good sign. But Shenzen is still in lockdown. And so is of course Hubei.

We will see.

But this ain't gonna be pretty.
Score: 4 Votes (Like | Disagree)
ksnell Avatar
78 months ago

Place of production does not matter / The place where the design and software was created is important.
Isn't it obvious they BOTH matter?
Score: 4 Votes (Like | Disagree)
MacBH928 Avatar
78 months ago
On the "glass half full" side of things, companies will finally understand not to rely too much on 1 source or country. Diversification is key to limit risks. This is nothing new but people don't seem to learn, so they get reminded with such things. I do hope corporation take a hard hit... like a devastating one.

This is also positive because as companies finally wake up and start withdrawing from relying on China, the totalitarian gov. will finally lose its economical grip and hopefully friendlier gov. like India and Indonesia might get the benefit. I am sorry for the people of China, but we can not fix their problems for them.
Score: 3 Votes (Like | Disagree)
DevNull0 Avatar
78 months ago

This might indicate that maybe...just maybe we shouldn't be relying on China as hard as we do for their cheap labor.
The problem is no public company is able to think beyond the current quarter. A CEO who spends a little more on labor today in the hope it will save the company from a problem like this will be fired very quickly. A CEO who puts all their eggs in the cheapest basket can shirk off blame for something like this which was "beyond their control".

GM wen't bankrupt because of short term greed. Ford was more responsible and weathered the storm on their own. So the government bailed out GM using everyone's tax money including Ford's, and GM is the bigger more successful company. Our entire system punishes healthy sustainable behaviour.
Score: 1 Votes (Like | Disagree)