Apple Lining Up iPad 3 Suppliers in Face of Increasing Number of Competitors

123254 ipad 4 2 profile

Digitimes reports on several Taiwan-based companies that have been picked to supply parts for the upcoming iPad 3.

Taiwan-based IC design houses Novatek Microelectronics, Richtek Technology, Capella Microsystems (Taiwan) and Integrated Memory Logic (iML) have reportedly entered the supply chain for iPad 3, according to industry sources.

The exact companies aren't likely of much interest to our readers, but Digitimes also claims that Apple seems more willing to use integrated circuits from Taiwan-based manufacturers "as it is adjusting the cost structure for iPad tablets in order to compete with an array of tablet PCs to be launched by rivals in the second half of 2011."

It's not entirely clear what this will mean to the customer in the end. Lower cost parts may mean less expensive iPads, but it may simply offer more capabilities at the same price. Apple's roadmap for the iPad 3 remains unclear as there have been numerous conflicting reports about the iPad 3's capabilities and release date.

Related Roundup: iPad
Buyer's Guide: iPad (Caution)
Related Forum: iPad

Popular Stories

New Things Your iPhone Can Do in iOS 18

20 New Things Your iPhone Can Do in iOS 18.2

Monday December 16, 2024 8:55 am PST by
Apple released iOS 18.2 in the second week of December, bringing the second round of Apple Intelligence features to iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 16 models. This update brings several major advancements to Apple's AI integration, including completely new image generation tools and a range of Visual Intelligence-based enhancements. Apple has added a handful of new non-AI related feature controls as...
iphone 16 apple intelligence

Apple Drops Plans for iPhone Hardware Subscription Service

Wednesday December 18, 2024 11:39 am PST by
Apple is no longer planning to launch a hardware subscription service that would let customers "subscribe" to get a new iPhone each year, reports Bloomberg's Mark Gurman. Gurman first shared rumors about Apple's work on a hardware subscription service back in 2022, and at the time, he said that Apple wanted to develop a simple system that would allow customers to pay a monthly fee to gain...
iPhone 17 Pro Dual Tone Feature 1

iPhone 17 Pro Rumored to Stick With 'Triangular' Camera Design

Wednesday December 18, 2024 2:36 am PST by
Contrary to recent reports, the iPhone 17 Pro will not feature a horizontal camera layout, according to the leaker known as "Instant Digital." In a new post on Weibo, the leaker said that a source has confirmed that while the appearance of the back of the iPhone 17 Pro has indeed changed, the layout of the three cameras is "still triangular," rather than the "horizontal bar spread on the...
elevation lab airtag battery

Your AirTag's Battery Will Last for Up to 10 Years With Elevation Lab's New TimeCapsule Enclosure

Wednesday December 18, 2024 10:05 am PST by
Elevation Lab today announced the launch of TimeCapsule, an innovative and simple solution for increasing the battery life of Apple's AirTag. Priced at $20, TimeCapsule is an AirTag enclosure that houses two AA batteries that offer 14x more battery capacity than the CR2032 battery that the AirTag runs on. It works by attaching the AirTag's upper housing to the built-in custom contact in the...
apple tv 4k yellow bg feature

New Apple TV Rumored to Launch Next Year With These Features

Tuesday December 17, 2024 9:02 am PST by
The current Apple TV 4K was released more than two years ago, so the streaming device is becoming due for a hardware upgrade soon. Fortunately, it was recently rumored that a new Apple TV will launch at some point next year. Below, we recap rumors about the next-generation Apple TV. Bloomberg's Mark Gurman last week reported that Apple has been working on its own combined Wi-Fi and...
blackmagic vision pro

Blackmagic Debuts $30K 3D Camera for Capturing Video for Vision Pro

Monday December 16, 2024 4:17 pm PST by
Blackmagic today announced that its URSA Cine Immersive camera is now available for pre-order, with deliveries set to start late in the first quarter of 2025. Blackmagic says that this is the world's first commercial camera system designed to capture 3D content for the Vision Pro. The URSA Cine Immersive camera was first introduced in June, but it has not been available for purchase until...
mac pro creativity

Apple Launched the Controversial 'Trashcan' Mac Pro 11 Years Ago Today

Thursday December 19, 2024 7:00 pm PST by
Apple launched the controversial "trashcan" Mac Pro eleven years ago today, introducing one of its most criticized designs that persisted through a period of widespread discontentment with the Mac lineup. The redesign took the Mac Pro in an entirely new direction, spearheaded by a polished aluminum cylindrical design that became unofficially dubbed the "trashcan" in the Mac community. All of ...
iPhone 17 Slim Feature

'iPhone 17 Air' With 'Major' Design Changes and 19-Inch MacBook Detailed in New Report

Sunday December 15, 2024 9:47 am PST by
Apple is planning a series of "major design" and "format changes" for iPhones over the next few years, according to The Wall Street Journal's Aaron Tilley and Yang Jie. The paywalled report published today corroborated the widely-rumored "iPhone 17 Air" with an "ultrathin" design that is thinner than current iPhone models. The report did not mention a specific measurement, but previous...

Top Rated Comments

Neodym Avatar
175 months ago
Rumours say iPad 3 this year. Jobs says 2011 year of iPad 2. I believe Jobs on this one.
It's ridiculous how people take a presentation slide to interpret whatever they want to believe!

Steve never said that there won't be any other tablet product to be released except for the the current iPad 2. The linked slide said "2011: Year of the iPad 2".

If iPad 2 has been sold for more than half of the year, one could say it has been the year of the iPad 2.

If the numbers of the iPad 2 exceed those of a potential iPad 3 (or iPad 2 HD) it would still be the year of the iPad 2.

If Apple would release an iPad 2 HD it would also still be the year of the iPad 2.

There are dozens of possibilities - even a non-native speaker like myself can understand that!

Oh and btw: business is war - an experienced boss like Steve would not give away too much information too soon!
Score: 10 Votes (Like | Disagree)
rosalindavenue Avatar
175 months ago
Maybe they are locking in the parts and perhaps even starting manufacture of the iPad 3 later this year so that when they ship it in March 2012 they won't have the horrible supply bottlenecks that have plagued them with iPads 1 and 2.
Score: 9 Votes (Like | Disagree)
davie18 Avatar
175 months ago
iPad 3 rumours already?

Must be running our of iPhone 5 rumours...
Score: 9 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Sardonick007 Avatar
175 months ago
ipad 3 is going to rule the world if they get their content providers sorted. Stil no proper magazine or feed subscirptions here in euroland. Can't get fortune or Time magazine on iPad subscription.

Content is one thing, I just hope "willing to use..." doesn't mean "wiling to compromise" I would hate to lose quality to save a few bucks.
Score: 6 Votes (Like | Disagree)
nerdo Avatar
175 months ago
ipad 3 is going to rule the world if they get their content providers sorted. Stil no proper magazine or feed subscirptions here in euroland. Can't get fortune or Time magazine on iPad subscription.

Would also love a retina display iPad3 navigation that can use a bluetooth rearview camera :)
Score: 6 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Supermacguy Avatar
175 months ago
The Apple pricing structure

The iPads, like all other Apple products, will almost assuredly NEVER GO DOWN IN PRICE. Nothing ever does (there are a handful of exceptions). They always keep the price the same, but add "more" features or new technology. Price of 1996 PowerMac 7100/66: $2500, price of base Mac Pro tower 2011: $2500.
Score: 5 Votes (Like | Disagree)