Apple’s component suppliers are spilling the beans on the next-generation iPad which is expected to be ready for a trial production by October.
According to a Wall Street Journal report, Apple has ordered key components such as display panels and chips for the iPad 3 which it now hopes to launch early next year.
The new tablet is expected to feature a high-resolution display of 2048 by 1536 compared with 1024 by 768 for iPad 2. Suppliers say Apple has placed orders for a 9.7-inch screen device and other smaller components have also been shipped. One component supplier said Apple had ordered parts for about 1.5 million iPad 3 units in Q4.
Apple sold about 9.3 million iPads in Q3 alone, helping the company to more than double its profit for the period to US$7.31 billion from $3.25 billion a year earlier.
