Display Maker Catches Up With iPad Mini Demand, Begins Work On iPad Mini 2 [Rumor]

By

iPad-mini-display-apart

AU Optronics, a display manufacturer that produces panels for the iPad mini, has reportedly caught up with its orders following poor yield rates during the second half of 2012. The company has produced one million displays for the device, according to industry sources, and it has now begun work on its next project — a new display for the next-generation iPad mini.

Sources for DigiTimes are claiming that AUO has now caught up with its iPad mini display orders, which will help keep supplies steady. The news comes just a day after Apple updated its online store in many countries to list the iPad mini “in stock” and immediately available for shipping.

Despite this, the report claims that AUO’s previous yield issues will mean cumulative shipments of the iPad mini will be less than Apple’s original estimate of 10 million units.

The device has been in short supply since its release last October, with some customers waiting up to a month for their orders to be shipped. The shipping delay has slowly been falling over the past few weeks, but it’s taken Apple and its suppliers around three months to eliminate it completely.

But now that supplies are steady, AUO can focus on its next task, which is a new display for the next-generation iPad mini. DigiTimes reports the company has already begun work on the new panel, which is widely believed to be a Retina display.

A January report from one analyst suggested the iPad mini 2 will launch alongside a thinner, lighter fifth-generation iPad this March. Brian White of Topeka Capital Markets believes Apple will now update its iOS devices once every six months, as opposed to once every 12 months.

Source: DigiTimes

Newsletters

Daily round-ups or a weekly refresher, straight from Cult of Mac to your inbox.

  • The Weekender

    The week's best Apple news, reviews and how-tos from Cult of Mac, every Saturday morning. Our readers say: "Thank you guys for always posting cool stuff" -- Vaughn Nevins. "Very informative" -- Kenly Xavier.