editor's blog
Subscribe Now

iPad Leveling Off?

The iPad may already be hitting its midlife crisis. According to financial insiders at JP Morgan Chase, component suppliers and manufacturing partners are being told to scale back their orders for the fourth quarter of this year. If true, that would be the first time that iPad production levels have gone backward.

The cutback is hefty, too: down 25%, from a planned 17 million iPads to just 13 million units. This amid widespread accolades for the latest iGizmo and a lack of any serious competitors. If the iPad was losing ground to, say, HP, IBM, or Amazon tablets that might make sense, but the iPad effectively has no competitors, so a cutback in supply-chain orders signals an expected drop in total sales.

What’s up? Has the iPad already peaked after only a few years? Now that the early adopters have snapped up theirs, it’s possible that demand from “normal” people just isn’t materializing the way Apple expected. Another possibility is that Apple is readying a new iPad 3 version and doesn’t want to be stuck with unsold iPad 2 models after Christmas.

Tablet computers are a tricky thing. They’ve been around for a long time (remember the Convergent WorkSlate?) but have never been especially popular. Even now, tablets like the iPad seem more like fun consumer devices than serious work computers. And maybe that’s okay. There’s no rule that says tablets have to replace PCs. Maybe they’re an adjunct to traditional computers and not a replacement. Either way, Apple seems to think that this particular version may have already past its prime.

Update: not surprisingly, other Wall Street analysts don’t agree. They’re claiming that either Apple has shifted its production forward from 4Q into 3Q in anticipation of holiday sales, or that there’s no downturn at all. Naturally, Apple itself isn’t saying.  

Leave a Reply

featured blogs
Mar 21, 2023
We explain computational lithography and explore how our partnership with NVIDIA accelerates semiconductor scaling and the chip design flow in the AI age. The post How Synopsys and NVIDIA Are Accelerating Semiconductor Scaling in the AI Age appeared first on New Horizons for...
Mar 20, 2023
Electronic design has evolved over the years to provide methods for optimizing power, space, and energy needs for the most demanding market applications in areas including hyperscale computing, consumer, 5G communications, automotive, mobile, aerospace, industrial, and health...
Mar 10, 2023
A proven guide to enable project managers to successfully take over ongoing projects and get the work done!...

featured video

First CXL 2.0 IP Interoperability Demo with Compliance Tests

Sponsored by Synopsys

In this video, Sr. R&D Engineer Rehan Iqbal, will guide you through Synopsys CXL IP passing compliance tests and demonstrating our seamless interoperability with Teladyne LeCroy Z516 Exerciser. This first-of-its-kind interoperability demo is a testament to Synopsys' commitment to delivering reliable IP solutions.

Learn more about Synopsys CXL here

featured chalk talk

Power Conversion for Home Health Care
Sponsored by Mouser Electronics and CUI Inc.
Did you know that the global home medical equipment market is projected to reach over fifty-five billion dollars by 2030? In this episode of Chalk Talk, Bruce Rose from CUI Inc and Amelia Dalton explore the various safety certifications and regulations needed for home health care designs. They also examine the roles that temperature, isolation, and leakage current play in home health care power conversion and the additional requirements needed for power supplies for home health care applications.
Oct 12, 2022
20,689 views