Suppliers do not See an Apple iPad 3 Release in Fall

Before the iPad 2 was even released rumors of the iPad 3 were already appearing. These rumors said that Apple would change the release schedule for the iPad this year by releasing a new iPad this Fall, just in time for the Black Friday and Holiday shopping season. Digitimes reports today that component suppliers do not believe that this will happen.

Apparently touch panel suppliers already got requests from Apple for high resolution displays that could also be AMOLED based. But this is in the early stages and a release of an iPad 3 based on a new display would not be possible in 2011. Other suppliers argue that the iPad 2 is just now really entering mass shipping. A new iPad that would ship within months of the current model would cannibalize its sales.

It would of course make sense for Apple to launch a new product in time for the big holiday shopping season. On the other hand Apple is not able to meet the current demand for the iPad 2 anyway. A holiday launch would trigger even more demand that the supply chain might not be able to handle. Nothing is worse than not shipping a product in time for Christmas.

As I see it Apple will be releasing a new iPhone 5 in September and the iPad stays on the Spring release schedule. Apple and its partners will be busy enough producing enough iPhone 5 handsets for a Fall launch. I know that I want an iPhone 5 then.

About the Apple iPad:
Apple launched the first iPad on April 3rd 2010. Until the iPad came along Tablets never caught on. The iPad was a runaway success at launch that even surprised Apple. The company had to postpone the international launch of the iPad to satisfy demand in the United States.

The original iPad surprised everyone with a low entry price of $499. This low price proved to be the major hurdle for competitors trying offer a similar performing tablet at the same price.

Features of the first generation iPad include 1GHz A4 CPU, PowerVR SGX 535 GPU, 9.7-inch LED-backlit touchscreen display with IPS technology, 10 hour battery life, 16GB to 64GB Storage options, 256MB RAM, 802.11n Wi-fi and 3G option. 

The original iPad has a weight of 1.5 pounds and it measures 9.56x7.47x.5 inches. The first iPad owners had to wait a very long time for multi-tasking until iOS 4.2 was released in November 2010. iPhone owners had that update months earlier.

Apple started selling the iPad 2 on March 11th in the United States. The new iPad 2 is about 1/3rd thinner than the first iPad and adds two cameras. Other new features of the iPad 2 include the new faster dual-core A5 CPU and the 9x faster PowerVR SGX543MP GPU. Measurements of the iPad 2 are 9.5x7.31x0.34 inches and the weight is 1.33 pounds. The iPad 2 is available in the United States as Wi-Fi only, AT&T 3G and new as a Verizon 3G version. Additionally the iPad 2011 is available in black and in white. The demand for the iPad 2 at launch led to long lines in stores even weeks after the sales started. Online orders of the iPad 2 take about one month to ship.

The prices for the Apple iPad models are $499 (US) for the 16GB model, $599 (US) for the 32GB model, $699 (US) for the 64GB model. The Wi-Fi + 3G iPad models will be available in April in the US and selected countries for a suggested retail price of $629 (US) for the 16GB model, $729 (US) for the 32GB model and $829 (US) for the 64GB model.

More important for the success of the iPad is the software. iOS still outshines other Tablet OSes in terms of ease of use. The Apple eco-system (iTunes) with music, movies and apps completes the experience that draws millions of consumers to the iPad. Get the latest iPad news in our Apple Hub.

 

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