Some products from companies such as Apple, Facebook and Hewlett-Packard have recently started to outstrip supply, which may represent the latest sign that the global manufacturing system is being affected by the virus epidemic.
According to information from Apple's website on Monday, the supply of iPad Pro tablets in major cities in the United States, Australia and Europe is beginning to tighten.
In all Apple stores in the Los Angeles area, the 12.9-inch 512G iPad Pro has been sold out, and this product still has no cellular network connection.
Various iPad products have also sold out in many stores in New York City.
Of course, in addition to the virus epidemic, the supply shortage of these iPad products may also be affected by Apple's launch of new products.
Apple has been planning to launch a new iPad Pro with an upgraded camera as early as the first half of this year.
In addition, AirPods Pro headsets and customized Mac computers are also delayed, and some Apple Watch products are out of stock.
Apple Watch Series 3 and AirPods Pro earbuds were in short supply even before the outbreak.
The latest iPhones and non-professional iPad products are still abundantly available in the United States, but in some parts of Europe and Australia, the iPhone 11 is already out of stock.
According to Facebook online store data, both the 128G Oculus Quest virtual reality headset and Oculus Rift S virtual reality headset are sold out online.
On HP's website, products such as Pavilion and Slim desktop computers, and Sprocket mobile photo printers have been shown out of stock.
But on Amazon, products such as Echo speakers and Kindle e-readers have not shown signs of product shortages as of Monday.
These data show that the hardware supply chain has been under pressure from a new coronavirus epidemic over the past few weeks.
Apple has stated that its operating targets for the first quarter will not be met and a shortage of supply will "temporarily affect its global revenue." Apple did not respond to a request for comment on Monday.
Facebook said Oculus Quest headsets have been sold out in some regions due to strong demand. The social media giant is also preparing for the possible impact of the virus outbreak. According to company website records, the Oculus Rift S has also been sold out in the past few days.