Apple is reportedly gearing up its supply chain for the production of six million iPad devices per month, beginning early next year, according to sources cited by DigiTimes on Thursday. The iPad maker has added two additional touch-panel manufacturers to its list of suppliers, industry sources told the Taiwan-based newspaper.

Some industry observers see the unconfirmed report as a sign that Apple may introduce a new iPad model as soon as January or February. However, six million units per month would be more than three times Piper Jaffray's forecast of 5.5 million iPad shipments in the entire fourth quarter of 2010.

On the other hand, the financial firm's analysts noted earlier this month that the iPad's growth potential remains substantial. "The tablet opportunity is massive, and we expect the enterprise opportunity within it to also be significant in itself," noted Gene Munster, Michael Olson and Andrew Murphy. "Apple has focused on enterprise features in iOS -- for iPhone and iPad -- to seize the opportunity."

Global Expansion Ahead?

Piper Jaffray forecasts that Apple will sell 13 million iPads in all of 2010 and estimates 79 percent year-over-year growth to 23.3 million units in 2011. Though Apple sells products such as Mac computers and iPods in more than 160 countries worldwide, the iPad is currently only available in 30, they noted. "We believe that Apple will eventually sell at least the Wi-Fi-only iPad in all 160+ countries," Munster, Olson and Murphy wrote.

What's more, the iPad is reaching new demographics and is poised to become "the Mac of the masses," the analysts observed. "The bottom line is that Apple's addressable market is expanding with the iPad, and, as a result, we believe the potential for upside from the iPad increases over the next 12 months," they wrote.

Additionally, the analysts believe the 30 countries in which...

2010-12-17 05:07:55