Apple has had problems matching up demand and supply with the Apple iPad mini. New orders for the 7.9 inch tablet are taking two weeks to ship, and besides the heavy demand, part of the problem is with one of Apple's vendors. According to Digitimes, panels for the Apple iPad mini being produced by Taiwan based AU Optronics are coming in with poor yields which obviously limits the number of finished tablets available to be sold.
Workers producing panels at an AU Optronics factory
Besides AU Optronics, LG Display also provides panels for the Apple iPad mini. Because of the problem AU Optronics has had with yield, industry sources expect the Cupertino based manufacturer to ship a cumulative total of 6 to 8 million units of the Apple iPad mini by the end of the year. These same sources had originally forecast 10 million iPad mini shipments this year, but the fourth quarter has been seriously impacted by AU Optronics. The latter says that it will have corrected the problem in time for the company to have "sufficient yield" by the first quarter of next year.
Not taking any chances, there is talk that Apple is looking at a third panel supplier. The sources didn't mention the name of the company that Apple is thinking about adding as a vendor, but did say that it is believed to be a Taiwan based firm. Remember, until we hear directly from Apple on this matter, you know to take this with a grain of salt.
Alan, an ardent smartphone enthusiast and a veteran writer at PhoneArena since 2009, has witnessed and chronicled the transformative years of mobile technology. Owning iconic phones from the original iPhone to the iPhone 15 Pro Max, he has seen smartphones evolve into a global phenomenon. Beyond smartphones, Alan has covered the emergence of tablets, smartwatches, and smart speakers.
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