14 DAY TRIAL // The already highly popular iPad 2 model has seen plenty of shortages, but that might not happen with the next flavor of the device, some of the latest reports on the matter suggest.
Apple has reportedly decided to add another supplier for the new iPad model, with Quanta Computer and Petagron Technology said to be the most likely candidates for the job.
Foxconn Electronics, the manufacturer for the previous iPad devices, will still be supplier for the next tablet PC iteration, though Apple seems set to boost production of this device by adding one of the two Taiwan-based companies into the mix.
Up until now, Apple chose to outsource the production of its iPad devices to only Foxconn. The tablets are being assembled at the company's factory in Chengdu, western China.
However, following an explosion that occurred at a Chengdu factory building in May this year, Apple has decided to minimize production risks through choosing a second contractor.
As stated above, Quanta Computer and Petagron Technology would be the main candidates for the production of the next iPad device.
Moreover, Apple is expected to choose Petagron as the second supplier for the tablet PC, since the manufacturer already landed iPhone 5 orders from the Cupertino-based giant, industry sources cited by DigiTimes report.
What remains to be seen is whether these orders would involve only the iPad 3 model, supposedly set to hit the market next year, or the already rumored iPad 2 plus or iPad HD model, which should make an appearance before 2011 is over.
Rumor has it that Apple might release an iPad HD device this fall, with twice the screen resolution of iPad 2, and with a thinner form factor.
The next iPad iteration should land on shelves sometime towards the end of the third quarter of the ongoing year, or in early fourth quarter at the latest.