Analyst: Apple's iPad launch could be delayed by production problems
Tuesday, March 02, 2010
Peter Misek, an analyst with Canaccord Adams, is quoted at Apple Insider as saying that a problem at one of the manufacturers of hardware for the company's vaunted iPad tablet could push back the device's launch date by as much as a month and limit the initial release area to the U.S.
Apple Insider says that Misek estimates that "an unspecified production problem at the iPad's manufacturer, Hon Hai Precision, will likely limit the launch region to the U.S. and the number of units available to roughly 300K in the month of March, far lower than the company's initial estimate of 1,000K units."
Still, Misek says, the delay is unlikely to prove fatal to the iPad's commercial prospects, adding that he still expects 1.2 million units of the device to be sold during fiscal 2010.
While Apple has not confirmed the supply problems and maintains that the device will be released in late March, the controversy is the latest in a series for the iPad, which has been plagued by incident since its unveiling earlier this year.
Written by James Arndale