Apple Limits Buying iPhones Online Amid Coronavirus Pandemic

Apple had also put a cap on the number of iPhones you could buy back in 2007 at the launch of the first iPhone.

People try out new iPhones during a product launch event at Apple.

(Photo: AP)

Apple is limiting the number of iPhones you can buy from its online stores including countries like the United States and China to just two devices per user.

This move comes after the American tech giant shut all of its physical stores outside of China amid the coronavirus outbreak which has put limitations on people’s movements in public.

A check on Apple’s website confirms the above as a drop-down menu restricts people from buying more than two phones.

The last time that Apple did something like this was back in 2007 when it put a cap on people buying the first-ever iPhone as people were hoarding the device and re-selling them.

This move could be because of the slowdown in the production of the devices as Apple’s manufacturing facilities across China have also been affected due to the malady. This has also affected the entire demand and supply chain of the company.

Foxconn, its manufacturing partner, had halted operations temporarily although, founder Terry Gou has said that production has now returned to normal.

Nicole Peng who tracks smartphone market trends said that Apple's move could also be to prevent people from ordering the devices in bulk online and then resell them.

In February this year, Apple CEO Tim Cook had written a letter to investors warning them that the company will unlikely meet the revenue projections it had projected for Q1 due to the virus.