People pre-ordering Apple Inc’s new iPad to avoid the release-day crowds at the company’s retail stores in the US will have to wait longer to get their hands on the devices.
The latest version of the company’s tablet, which was unveiled on Wednesday, is set to hit shelves on Friday.
However, tablets pre-ordered online will not ship to buyers until next Monday, three days later, according to the company’s Web site.
Earlier in the week, Apple had promised the newest tablet would arrive at customers’ homes on the launch date.
Apple spokesperson Trudy Miller said the change was made because customer response to the new iPad had been “off the charts,” quickly exhausting the supply set aside for pre-order and delivery by Friday.
Apple’s new product releases are some of the hottest events on the tech calendar, scrutinized by investors, the media and industry insiders alike.
To the company’s fans, who vie to be the first to own the latest device, a three-day delay would be an eternity and could add to the crowds at the company’s retail stores.
In January, enraged Chinese shoppers pelted Apple’s flagship Beijing store with eggs and shoving matches broke out with police after customers were told the store would not begin sales of the iPhone 4S as scheduled.
The new iPad sports a crisper display and an array of technology advances and tweaks.
Apple said it will continue to sell the iPad 2, but dropped its price by US$100. The older tablet now starts at US$399, while the new third-generation Wi-Fi only iPad starts at US$499.
The high-end model of Apple’s latest iPad starts at US$629 and will be capable of operating on a high-speed 4G LTE, or Long-Term Evolution, network. At speeds roughly 10 times faster than current 3G technology, that might help banish the sometimes shaky video quality of older devices.
Apple is using components for the new iPad from more second-source suppliers to assure it meets the anticipated increased demand by consumers, according to Bank of America Merrill Lynch.
Given the time to market and pricing strategy, Merrill Lynch estimates that worldwide iPad shipments will likely hit 60 million units this year, up from 15 million units in 2010 and 40 million units last year.
“We see Apple turning more aggressive in using second-source suppliers for the iPad and iPhone, given the large volume ramp [up],” Merrill Lynch analyst Robert Cheng (鄭勝榮) said in a recent note.
“On the new iPad, some second-source component suppliers are emerging [and gaining] shares from the incumbents,” he said.
For Taiwanese suppliers, Genius Electronic Optical Co (玉晶光) and Largan Precision Co (大立光) will likely supply similar volumes of camera lenses, Cheng said.
Dynapack International Technology Corp (順達科技) is supplying 50 to 55 percent of the battery packs for the new iPad, compared with Simplo Technology Co’s (新普科技) 45 to 50 percent share, he added.
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