Geoff Augutis from Queensland Computers in Bundaberg talks about the impact of Coronavirus on technology supplies.
As COVID-19 pandemic disrupts the world you would hard pressed to find an industry or sector that hasn’t been affected.
The impacts on day-to-day products have been evident with hand wash/sanitiser and toilet paper shortages only now begging to recover, however some shortages have been less prominent.
With such a large percentage of the world’s stock being manufactured in China, world technology supplies have been under intense pressure.
The early days closures of Chinese manufacturing are only now just starting to flow through to Aussie supply, with tech products being hit hard.
iPhones and other smartphones have been under intense pressure for the past month or so, with supplies not expected to recover until end of financial year.
This isn’t so much a spike in demand as it is a genuine lack of production and stock coming into the system.
Other products such as webcams, microphones and laptop docking stations are experiencing consistent supply, but cannot keep up with demand.
With more people than ever working from home – these products are highly sought after.
Aside from the genuine supply constraints and production deficits, the AUD/USD dollar fluctuations are also causing massive dramas.
With over 20 per cent fluctuations in the Aussie dollar in short timeframes, new technology stock coming from overseas has been getting slapped with a large premium.
Combining this with a demand spike and some products have gone up 30-40 per cent in the blink of an eye.
While technology supplies aren't alone in feeling the impacts of the COVID-19 situation, it is one of the most exposed sectors.
With fewer products being made locally all the time, our dependency on China and other manufacturing countries has increased exponentially over the years.
Although there is positive news on the horizon for infection rates in Australia, the chaos that is grappling the tech sector will not recover quickly.
The consumer can expect volatility in both stock delays and pricing for months to come. In times like this patience and savvy shopping will pay dividends.
- Working from home technology essentials
