According to a broker note written by Yuanta’s head of downstream tech equities, Apple’s unannounced iPad 2 may not launch until June of this year. Many pundits expected the announcement could be as early as this spring. Reuters reports that Chen said, “Our checks suggest new issues are being encountered with the new production process and it is taking time to resolve them.”
It’s rumored that the iPad 2 will offer a new front-facing camera for FaceTime video chat, but other specs ofthe device are unknown at this time. Apple is facing increasing competition in the tablet market with competitors such as Samsung, HTC, Acer, LG and HP all unveiling new tablet devices at the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona last week.
Ipad price cuts by UK retailers had started to make industry watchers think that the Ipad 2 was imminent, but the broker’s note suggests otherwise. Chen had predicted Ipad sales since its 2010 launch to top 30.6 million units but the sequel’s delay could put some buyers off, reducing final sales to just 23 million.
The delay may give Android tablets an advantage, the report says. “As a number of Android 3.0 tablets are being launched in April and May, the delay in iPad 2 shipments may give the Android camp a brief window of opportunity,” the report read.
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