Yuanta Securities analysts claim iPad 2 will be delayed until June (Updated)

The iPad 2 may be delayed due to "production bottlenecks" at manufacturing company Hon Hai Precision, parent company of Foxconn. This delay is partially the result of unspecified changes in the iPad 2 design made by Apple before the Lunar New Year on February 3, according to a report from Yuanta Securities analysts Vincent Chen and Alison Chen.
"Our checks suggest new issues are being encountered with the new production and it is taking time to resolve them," writes Chen. "As a number of Android 3.0 tablets are being launched in April and May, the delay in iPad 2 shipments may give the Android camp a brief window of opportunity."
A two month delay would push the iPad launch close to Apple's Worldwide Developers Conference and the expected launch date of the iPhone 5. It is possible that Apple could tie the announcement and launch of the two iOS devices together, but the retail debut of two extremely popular devices at the same would be a logistical nightmare. A delay would also cut into analyst's forecast of 30.6 million iPad shipments for 2011, a figure that could drop to 23 million following a delay.
We should note this latest report contradicts previous rumors that suggest the iPad 2 has entered production and is on track for a March release. Both the Wall Street Journal and Japanese website MacOtakara claim to have sources that confirm the iPad 2 is rolling off Asian production lines. According to Bloomberg, an Apple representative in Hong Kong declined to comment on this delay, and Hon Hai spokesperson Edmund Ding was not reachable.
Update: The Loop chimed in with a rebuttal that claims this rumor is absolutely not true. And AllThingsD also claim the iPad 2 will be introduced during a March 2 event.
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The iPad 2 may be delayed due to "production bottlenecks" at manufacturing company Hon Hai Precision, parent company of Foxconn. This...
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Isn't the rumor mill fun? Until Apple actually releases an announcement everyone is going to be making crap up. The only one that knows all will never speak.
February 23 2011 at 2:23 AM Report abuse Permalink rate up rate down ReplyDoes Yuanta Securities have a track record of The Great Karnak moments?
February 22 2011 at 12:47 PM Report abuse Permalink rate up rate down ReplyThey wont delay anything. It will announce and launch with the normal cycle, but will be near impossible to get for a couple of months. Just like every other iPhone launch and the iPad launch last year. Long lines for weeks and 4-6 week shipping estimates online.
February 22 2011 at 12:15 PM Report abuse Permalink rate up rate down ReplyHow can something that hasn't been announced be delayed?!?!
February 22 2011 at 11:19 AM Report abuse Permalink rate up rate down Reply"before the Lunar New Year on February 3" Why would you use such an obscure reference? LOL
February 22 2011 at 10:30 AM Report abuse Permalink rate up rate down Replyi can tell you firsthand (i live in taipei). during chinese new year, everything stops. in taiwan its for 1 week. no work or anything (banks usually a 5 day weekend fitting wherever the new year falls). in mainland, the factories shut down for extended amounts of time, usually 3-4 weeks.
next time before you make some off-handed comment, realize that the US/Europe isn't the only place in the world and that other people have other holidays that they celebrate.
"...the retail debut of two extremely popular devices at the same would be a logistical nightmare."
I'm unsure about the above, but the rumor-mongering, Apple-fanbois, and blogging communities would probably (hopefully?) suffer a catastrophic meltdown.
Like cockroaches, we'll survive. The point is from an attention perspective: marketing, support, sales -- it IS a logistical nightmare for Apple, which is still a rather small company.
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