Apple’s iPad 3 is expected to make its debut early this year, but it may not be the end of the much-loved iPad 2.
According to the company’s plans for display panel shipments, the iPad 2 is certainly not about to meet its demise. Instead, Apple may follow the same steps it has taken with the iPhone 4 and offer its second-generation iPad alongside the new model as a cheap $299 alternative — allowing it to compete with Amazon’s budget Kindle Fire tablet.
Apple and several Chinese environmentalists met Tuesday to clear the air on disputes over pollution they claim comes from factories supplying the tech giant with much sought-after iPhones and iPads. Following the Beijing meeting, one environmentalist questioned Apple’s sincerity.
In an intriguing note, a Wall Street analyst suggests Samsung — you know, the South Korean company keeping Apple’s legal department in yachts and private islands — could be one of the beneficiaries of $3.4 billion Apple will spend to retool suppliers’ factories in 2012. Or Apple could just build itself a couple of state-of-the-art chip factories from scratch.
Apple’s MacBook Air has been an incredibly popular machine since the company introduced solid-state drives as standard and reduced its price tag back in October 2010. But for some, it just doesn’t come big enough.
However, dreams of a 15-inch model are about to come true, according to sources in Apple’s supply chain. And it’ll be here by March 2012.
Someone fell down the rabbit hole, returning with a whopper of a rumor. The iPhone 4S – you know, the Apple handset that’s been flying off shelves and setting record pre-sales – is actually a dog. Seems Apple is having a hard time getting rid of these things and has told suppliers to back the truck up – like into next year.
The only problem with this rumor? It’s total bunk, says a prominent Apple analyst.
iPad users have been looking forward to a Retina display since the company introduced its iPhone 4 — its first iOS device to feature the high-resolution display — and recent reports have claimed the feature will finally surface with Apple’s third-generation tablet.
Strengthening those claims is a new report which suggests Apple is working with component suppliers to design a new backlight that is capable of maintaining the iPad’s existing level of brightness with the higher resolution panels.
Despite a rumored delay to the launch of the third-generation iPad, Apple is continuing to piece together its iPad 3 supply chain, which is now said to include three primary LCD makers that will supply the device’s much-anticipated Retina display.
The release of Apple’s iPad 3 has reportedly been delayed until 2012 due to a shortage of high-resolution Retina displays. A third-generation device with a much improved display was rumored to launch later this year, but as many of us had predicted a long time ago, that’s not going to happen.
It seems reasonable by now to expect Apple’s iPhone 5 to launch this September. Considering all the speculation we’ve waded through over the past few months, a September launch has certainly been the most consistent claim. And while we’re no closer to an exact launch date, the China Times pinpoints the second week of September for the launch of the fifth-generation device, and later this fall for the launch of the iPad 3.
The staggering success of Apple’s iPad has inevitably spawned a myriad of wannabe devices from a large number of electronics manufacturers. While many of these tablets are yet to really compete with Apple’s tablet, the Cupertino company is still preparing itself for a worthy adversary by “adjusting the cost structure” of the iPad 3.
Apple is reportedly seeking a second iPad manufacturer to help meet demand of the device when the rumored ‘iPad 2 Plus’ is introduced later this year.
Components makers in the supply chain for Apple’s MacBook Air are set to “run in full gear” during July as the company prepares for the upcoming launch of the latest model.
Apple has decreased its order of the iPhone 4 in anticipation of the fifth-generation device, strengthening those rumors that claim a new iPhone will launch before the end of this year.
Apple could be about to add an additional supplier to its iPad 2 chain as the company continues to deal with overwhelming demand of the second-generation device and tackle backlight bleeding problems with early models.
Despite recent speculation that a third generation iPad will launch later this year, component makers in China have ruled out the possibility of two iPads in twelve months, and claimed that although Apple has released its plans for a higher resolution tablet, the device is still in the “initial planning stage.”
Sources said they do not see the iPad 2 as a transitional product, and pointed out that the launch of an iPad 3 so soon after the release of the second generation device would simply cut off interest in the iPad 2. Component makers confirmed that they are yet to receive any notice for next generation iPad components, and with such a strong demand for the iPad 2, an update won’t appear anytime soon.
Touch panel makers also revealed that Apple may be considering an AMOLED panel for the iPad 3, which would be a “great risk” for the Cupertino company since AMOLED technologies are currently largely controlled by Samsung. It may mean Apple could no longer have priority over the key technologies used in its devices, and meeting demand for the device could prove even more difficult.
[via DigiTimes]
