Apple ups iPhone 4S build orders and switches iPad battery suppliers

The Chinese-language Commercial Times cites sources as saying Apple has ordered an extra 5 million iPhone 4S units from Pegatron Technology on top of the 10 million smartphone units the supplier was already commissioned to build for the company. Foxconn also assembles iPhone 4Ss for Apple.

The report also added that Pegatron has strengthened "its deployment for metal chassis, aiming to also land orders for the iPad 3 from Apple as well as ultrabook orders from branded notebook vendors."

Meanwhile, DigiTimes claims that Apple has moved some iPad 2 Li-polymer battery orders from long-time supplier Simplo Technology to Dynapack International Technology.

Some of the iPad 2 batteries produced by Simplo have been found to have leakage issues, which could cause short circuits and interfere with proper recharging. However the leakage will not cause explosion or fire hazard as the Li-polymer batteries use stable chemical materials.

Until the battery incident Simplo has reportedly shipped 3 million iPad 2 batteries for the fourth quarter, or 60 percent from the total of five million ordered units, with Dynapack being responsible for the remaining 2 million. On top of iPad 2 batteries, Simplo also builds MacBook Air and MacBook Pro batteries for Apple.