Supply Articles on TUAW - The Unofficial Apple Weblog

Labor, materials shortages could affect iPad, iPhone shipments

by Kelly Hodgkins (May 12th, 2011)

A rumor from Digitimes suggests Foxconn may not be able to fulfill Apple's upcoming orders for the iPad 2 and the iPhone 4. Sources from upstream component makers claim the Chinese company is facing a shortage of both labor and materials at its plant in Chengdu, China. This facility is one of ...

Quality issues with LG manufactured panels to blame for iPad 2 shortage

by Kelly Hodgkins (May 6th, 2011)

Quality control problems with LCD panels from LG Display may have contributed to the prolonged shortage of the iPad 2. According to the report from Digitimes, early batches of the 9.7-inch panels supplied by LG had a light leak issue that limited LG's ability to meet demand. As a result, LG ...

Korean carriers suspend iPad 2 online sales

by Steven Sande (May 3rd, 2011)

Korean mobile carriers SK Telecom and KT Corp have suspended online sales of the iPad 2 only a week after the product was launched. According to a report this morning, tight supplies of the tablet were responsible for the suspension. Reuters noted that the SK Telecom website is showing an ...

iPad 2 production shortfall cause: LCD and speaker issues

by Kelly Hodgkins (Apr 22nd, 2011)

IHS iSuppli cut its forecast for yearly iPad sales following Apple's earnings conference call on April 20. iSuppli predicts the Cupertino company will ship 39.7 million iPads in 2010, a 9.1 percent reduction from its earlier forecast of 43.7 million. Apple confirmed during its earnings ...

iPad 2 ship times decrease to 2-3 weeks

by Michael Grothaus (Apr 4th, 2011)

Shipping times on Apple's website for new iPad 2 orders have decreased to 2-3 weeks as of this morning. That's a far cry from the 4-5 weeks that the store stated shortly after the iPad 2 went on sale. The new shipping times apply to all 18 models of the iPad -- white, black, Wi-Fi, AT&T and ...

Suppliers ramp up to support iPad 2 demand

by Chris Ward (Mar 31st, 2011)

With queues still forming at 4 AM at some Apple stores, and whole countries selling out completely, demand for the iPad 2 is so high that Apple suppliers are ramping up production of its various components. AppleInsider reports that Samsung is hiring 300 new engineers for a semiconductor ...

Tragedy in Japan hasn't "meaningfully impacted iPad 2 supply"

by Kelly Hodgkins (Mar 25th, 2011)

The Japanese earthquake had a devastating effect on the people of Japan and temporarily shut down many manufacturing facilites. Analysts speculated this disaster might have produced a shortage of key components used in the electronics manufacturing process, but according to Piper Jaffray ...

Pricey iPad 2s showing up in online auctions

by Kelly Hodgkins (Mar 18th, 2011)

The "amazing" demand for the iPad 2 is creating a booming resellers market for those looking to flip their iPad 2. While iPad 2 units are impossible to find in stores, the internet is teeming with iPad 2s for those willing to pay any price. The 64 GB Wi-Fi + 3G model is the top of the line iPad ...

"Notable" slowdown at Foxconn manufacturing concerns Apple (Updated)

by Kelly Hodgkins (Mar 16th, 2011)

A slowdown in Foxconn's manufacturing may have a negative impact on the future supply of Apple products. According to Alex Guana of JMP Securities, "Hon Hai's (Foxconn) growth decelerated from 84% (year over year) in the month of December to 37% in January and then again to 26% in ...

iPad 2 sells out in USA, March 25th international launch in doubt

by Chris Rawson (Mar 16th, 2011)

Less than a week after its launch in the United States, the iPad 2 is simply gone. If you don't have one already, you're not likely to get one anytime soon unless you have equal measures of patience and perseverance. Apple's retail stores are occasionally (and sporadically) getting new ...

iPad 2 success will burst the bubble for competing tablet manufacturers

by Kelly Hodgkins (Mar 9th, 2011)

Analyst Mark Moskowitz of J.P. Morgan Research predicts the success of the iPad 2 will cause oversupply problems for competing tablet manufacturers. Moskowitz claims manufacturers looking to compete with the iPad 2 have extremely ambitious build plans that will hurt them in the long ...

Apple expected to ship 6.5 million iPads in Q1 2011

by Matt Tinsley (Mar 2nd, 2011)

Digitimes is reporting that, according to an iPad supply chain source, Apple intends to ship 6 to 6.5 million iPads in the first quarter of 2011 (ending at the end of March). According to the source, 300,000 to 400,000 of those will be iPad 2s. Digitimes' source also points out that Apple had ...

Apple expected to have strong Q1 2011 shipments despite Intel's glitch

by Mike Schramm (Feb 16th, 2011)

Intel recently had a kerfuffle with its upcoming chipset lines, finding a defect in the 6 series and causing production of certain models to be delayed by as much as a few months. But if you're waiting to buy a brand new MacBook Pro, don't worry -- because Apple is careful about when it upgrades ...

Apple's iPad strategy: Cutting off competitors, or just learning their lesson?

by Megan Lavey-Heaton (Jan 21st, 2011)

Falling into the "no, duh" category, Business Insider, citing a 9to5 Mac article, says that the main reason the forthcoming iPad 2 will undercut the emerging plethora of Android-powered tablets is because Apple has already cornered the market on manufacturers and has enlisted more to produce the ...

Chinese Apple Stores plan special New Year events

by David Quilty (Jan 12th, 2011)

While India's Krishna Kalyan ate an iPhone 4 cake to celebrate the New Year, Apple's four retail stores in China have something else in mind to celebrate the Chinese New Year. According to ifoAppleStore, Apple has emailed an invitation to their customers in China to visit the retail stores between ...