Well, that was quick.
It's been just five days since Apple
New orders placed through Apple now quote domestic shipping times as high as two to three weeks for all models, although the company always reserves an allotment for retail walk-ins on launch day, which also promises to deliver the long lines and media spectacles that typify Apple product launches.
There are a few potential culprits for iPad supply shortages, including the fact that the tablet is seeing an aggressive global rollout on launch day that spans the United States, Canada, Japan, and much of Europe, among others. An additional 25 countries make the list a week after that, so Apple needs to reserve some units for every country.
The likelier cause is that the device's biggest selling point, the new Retina Display, is causing production bottlenecks and limiting supply as panel suppliers have difficulties ramping up yields. According to NPD Group's DisplaySearch, Apple is tapping three separate display suppliers: Samsung, LG Display
It's unlikely that any of the other components, like the world-mode baseband chip (or similar variant) from Qualcomm
What we're probably looking at here refers to a technique that Cupertino did not invent, called Super High Aperture, or SHA. It involves applying a 3-micron-thick acrylic resin layer, and Sharp and JSR developed it years ago, but it was slow to take off because of its complexity, costs, and low yields.
You can probably expect to see some Google
Meanwhile, longtime Apple analyst Gene Munster of Piper Jaffray expects Cupertino to sell 9 million iPads this quarter. The shortages also create opportunities for ambitious scalpers looking to capitalize on excess demand, while iPad scarcity will only make buyers want it even more. For now, there just aren't enough new iPads to go around.
The iPad has started a revolution, but Apple is hardly the only winner. Some of the winners are hard to see because they're buried deep inside the gadgets. Check out this new special free report on "3 Hidden Winners of the iPhone, iPad, and Android Revolution" that names a handful of companies that provide the crucial components that these gadgets rely on. It's free.