All except 4 of Apple’s stores in mainland China reopen after coronavirus shutdown

Out of 42 of Apple’s stores in mainland China, 38 have reopened after the coronavirus outbreak forced the iPhone-maker to shut stores for an extended period.

Out of 42 of Apple’s stores in mainland China, 38 have reopened after the coronavirus outbreak forced the iPhone-maker to shut stores for an extended period. (REUTERS)

Out of 42 of Apple's stores in mainland China, 38 have reopened after the coronavirus outbreak forced the iPhone-maker to shut stores for an extended period.

Many of the stores that have reopened are, however, still running limited operating hours.

Three stores in Tianjin (in northwest China) and one store in Suzhou (a city west of Shanghai) remains closed. Apple, however, has not explained why these four stores are still shut.

China is a critical market for Apple and the company has warned that it will not be able to meet the "wider-than-usual" revenue guidance given for March of $63 billion to $67 billion.

In early February, Apple had announced the temporary shutdown of all its stores in mainland China till February 9 due to coronavirus outbreak. They reopened 29 of the 42 outlets by February 24, adding 9 more eventually.

Apple has also announced that "worldwide iPhone supply will be temporarily constrained" and that "demand for products within China has been affected".

It is still unclear how badly supply has been hit so far. Foxconn, the company that makes iPhones, wa forced to shut down factories at the height of outbreak. Apple told its investors that it has already returned to 50% of "seasonal required capacity" and expects to be back to full capacity soon.