Analyst: Apple Forecast to Lose 30% of Worldwide iPhone Shipments if WeChat Is Banned

If President Trump goes through with his ban on WeChat -- the Chinese chatting app owned by Tencent (OTC: TCEHY) -- Apple (NASDAQ: AAPL) could see as much as 30% of its shipments evaporate if it is forced to remove the app from its App Store. Because 1.2 billion mostly Chinese people use the app worldwide, and many see it as critical to staying in touch with family and friends, the iPhone could quickly fall out of favor with them. Because WeChat has become a daily necessity in China ... We estimate that the annual ‌iPhone‌ shipments will be revised down by 25–30%, and the annual shipments of other Apple hardware devices, including AirPods, iPad, Apple Watch and Mac, will be revised down by 15–25%.