Investors can’t say Apple didn’t warn them about the potential impacts from the coronavirus outbreak that China is grappling with. When the Mac maker released its blowout Q4 earnings report last Tuesday, the company cautioned that the epidemic would create “greater uncertainty” in the first quarter. As a result, Apple’s revenue guidance included a wider range than usual ($4 billion). Over the past week, the situation has evolved rapidly.
As the number of confirmed cases and deaths continues to rise and public health officials the world over struggle to contain the outbreak, companies are also responding with efforts to reduce the contagion risk. As of a week ago, Apple had restricted business travel and closed just one of its retail stores in the Middle Kingdom, among other actions. Over the weekend, Apple shuttered all of its remaining retail stores in China, as well as its corporate offices and other locations… The Motley Fool