Analyst: ‘Minor Issues’ May Delay Tablet Shipments Until June

Ed Sutherland ()

Analyst: ‘Minor Issues’ May Delay Tablet Shipments Until June

‘Minor issues’ with Apple’s tablet could force the Cupertino, Calif. company to delay shipping the highly-expected device until June, suggests an analyst. If correct, the three-month lag would dispute previous claims a tablet would ship by March.

Issues with battery life and durability are suspected culprits of any delay, Kaufman Bros. analyst Shaw Wu told investors Tuesday. The holdup would put the tablet, which Wu calls the “iSlate” into a more traditional pattern for Apple. When the company introduced its first iPhone in 2007, it announced the iconic handset in January and began shipping in June.

Wu, citing checks with Apple’s supply chain, confirmed Apple will announce the tablet Jan. 27, which the company recently said will be used to unveil its “latest creation.” The tablet is more of a “super” iPod touch rather than a mobile Mac, he said.

“From our understanding, it is not intended to replace a Mac but be somewhat of a ‘super’ iPod touch where video, gaming, Web browsing, e-books and the ability to run multiple apps would be enhanced with a much larger screen,” the analyst wrote.

The rumored tablet has also been called an “iPhone on steriods,” using much of the iPhone’s technology, to the point Apple has delayed updating its handset due to concern details may leak before an official announcement, one report implied.

Describing the device’s features, Wu said the tablet’s 10-inch to 11-inch touchscreen could add $100 to the price tag, possibly pushing the cost to $999, rather than $600, which other analysts, such as Gene Munster of Piper Jaffray had hoped. The eventual price could come down if Apple inks carrier subsidies for the device.

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In another area, Wu said Wi-Fi was the “most likely option” for connectivity, arguing 3G was avoided to “not further clog already strained” high-speed networks. Apple could sell 1 million of the device each quarter, building 5 million tablets in the first year, said the analyst.

[Via Fortune and AppleInsider]

8 comments »

About the author

Ed Sutherland

Ed Sutherland is a veteran technology journalist who first heard of Apple when they grew on trees, Yahoo was run out of a Stanford dorm and Google was an unknown upstart. Since then, Sutherland has covered the whole technology landscape, concentrating on tracking the trends and figuring out the finances of large (and small) technology companies.

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  • http://www.daddyclaxton.com Donny “Daddy” Claxton

    I think the most important thing for Apple is that they get it right. If they announce it next week and it doesn’t ship until June, they’re still positioned well. And I’m sure they don’t want to put it out like Barnes & Noble has done to get some sales in before Christmas and then not have anymore for three months. Horrible planning on B&N’s part, but I understand why they did it.

    Thanks for the heads up on this. I’m sure looking forward to the upcoming announcement.

  • ken

    wait…so you are saying that the unconfirmed product with no release date has a new, postponed release date?
    I love rumors!

  • Poppa

    All these rumours about release dates for a Tablet are getting hard to swallow!!!

  • Mattzook

    The yet non-existing Apple product has been delayed into a yet non-existing and uncertain, incalculable period of time. Of this much we are positively 100% certain.

  • Charli

    or how about this one.

    Wu found out that all his previous talk about March was wrong and he’s got to recant but he doesn’t want to look like a moron so he’s saying that there are last minute issues holding things up.

    when in fact it was always going to be June.

    as for the whole no 3g thing. i’m not buying it. I think it will be there and very likely unlocked with perhaps both gsm and cdma. the clogs are a point in favor for 3g being optional and not forcing folks into a contract with anyone. then those that are cool with just the Wi and the Fi can buy and have fun (I would be I live in a city with free wifi on all major streets including the one right behind me)

  • macaddicted

    I’m sorry, I love Apple stuff, and have for two decades. But $1000 for a tablet? When a MacBook is $999 and a MacBook Air is $1499? Both are true computers that will give you several hours of work time. It seems like too much to me. I know it’s just a rumor, but I hope it’s wrong.

  • Sean Peters

    If correct, the three-month lag would dispute previous claims a tablet would ship by March.

    Geez, do you people have anyone for whom English is a first language? “A three month lag” can’t “dispute” anything, since it’s not capable of speech.

    Sorry, I try not to be Mr. Language Person, but sometimes I just can’t help myself.

  • Mattzook

    The phrase “minor issues” probably translates to “We at Apple are still working to the last minute to secure the trademarks to the name ‘iPad’ because some stupid little company in the Philippines trademarked it 7 years ago and they simply won’t surrender it to us!”