Coronavirus Outbreak Impacts Apple's Stores, Oculus Headset Production
The latest developments related to the impact coronavirus in the tech industry include Apple's decision to further delay the opening of its stores in China and delays in the production of Facebook's Oculus virtual reality headsets.
Apple says it is extending its retail store closures in China by a few days as the coronavirus continues to spread.
Last week, Apple said it would close all 42 stores in China until Feb. 9 in an “abundance of caution and based on the latest advice from leading health experts.” The company is now extending this, with most of the stores remaining closed until Feb. 15 in some cases.
“We are working toward re-opening our corporate offices and contact centers the week of February 10, and we are making preparations to reopen our retail store,” the company said in a statement.
Separately, Facebook said the global outbreak of the coronavirus is likely to impact production of its Oculus virtual reality headsets, which are produced in China.
The Oculus Quest, Facebook’s wireless headset released last year, is out of stock in some regions, according to VR news website UploadVR, and a Facebook spokeswoman said that high demand, and the coronavirus, may impact the device’s availability moving forward.