Sam OliverChina's Commercial Times reported Monday (via Google Translate) that iPad 2 production will begin in February in a "small pilot." But the company's shipments for the second quarter of calendar 2011 are expected to grow significantly, and may even exceed the peak seen by the first-generation iPad in the fourth quarter of 2010.
If true, the report would contradict earlier rumors that pegged partners to begin production of the iPad 2 in January. Still, a February production date would keep the device on track for rumors of an April launch.
Monday's report claims that Foxconn will remain the largest manufacturing partner of Apple, while other usual suppliers like Pegatron will also be involved in creation of the device.
The report also went on to say that Apple's partners are expected to begin "volume production" of the fifth-generation iPhone in May. Apple typically releases a new iPhone every June in keeping with its annual refresh cycle.
Strangely, the report also noted that Apple Chief Executive Steve Jobs is not expected to attend the Macworld Conference on Jan. 26 for health reasons. The translated report incorrectly refers to the conference as "Apple's." Apple's final appearance at the Macworld expo came in 2009.
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61 Comments
The beginning of produce date is possible cause 03.Feb is the CTM new year, all workers will go home.
Well, that last statement says all about the crediability of the report.
My guess would be that the January production estimates were merely for devices seen at the MacWorld Convention this week. February sounds more like the full production for the April Launch.
If production kicks off in a few weeks, why an April launch and not March?
Being as the launch of the iPad was a rather drawn out affair taking months to unfold (the original announcement took place in January), I don't think that an April launch date is cast in stone.
Apple hates it when leaks blunt the wow factor that comes from unveiling a significant update. If you start building the new iPad in early February and wait for two months to launch the device, you have to know that the official announcement will be merely a formality with no significant PR value. On the other hand if you kick off production and then unveil the device let's say a month later, you have a chance to keep leaks from messing up the reveal. It also helps to prevent competition from being a month closer to catching up to you.
Perhaps I'm being naive. Maybe a month is not enough time to get production going in volumes adequate to meet initial demand. Yet it seems to me that volume production within a month of launching production seems like a reasonable goal. As long as you have enough units built within that month to not be regarded as having lied about it being available, if there is an initial delay for customers in the early stages, that's considered business as usual.
Then again, this is all based on a best-case scenario. If it turns out there is a production issue that surfaces in that first few weeks, no doubt Apple would hate to have it thought that a March or late February public unveiling was in the cards only to have that announcement delayed by several weeks to work out the problem. Better to have it thought that April was the target all along.
Gah! Can't wait.