Can We Blame SARS For Weakness In The Wireless Market?
Yesterday I expressed some skepticism about all the wireless companies blaming SARS for their troubles. It seemed too convenient, and incredibly difficult to actually determine if SARS was the reason for trouble. I’m always a bit skeptical about companies that blame their troubles on one-time events that have little direct impact. It appears I’m not the only one who’s skeptical on this particular issue. Over at Business 2.0 someone suggests that wireless companies blaming SARS are blowing a lot of hot air. He points out that the personal computer sector is facing the same problems, but none of those companies are blaming SARS. He admits that there’s probably some impact from lowered retail shopping (due to people staying indoors and away from public places all the time), but that the real issue is an inventory glut in China. The various big name headset makers started salivating over the Chinese market and dumped phones in by the boatload – only to discover that there were local headset makers who were winning quite a bit of business and that demand just wasn’t what they had initially projected. Thus, while some companies would have you believe that their troubles are caused by a one-time issue, they might be using that to hide a much longer-term problem.
