Gadget Reviews, Product News, Electronic Gadgets

Apple was apparently playing the roll of the Boy Scout by being prepared. Last quarter they purchased a significant amount of parts with which to build iPad 2 devices and got them all ready well ahead of the holiday rush. So yes, production of the units is slowing down but no, it is not because they aren’t still flying off the shelves.
So the question really becomes why Apple decided to get ahead of themselves. Because Apple has a track record for having solid reasoning and planning behind every move they make the bet is safe that there is more to it than we think.
There are plenty of reasons Apple may have wanted a stockpile of iPad 2 units. It might be as simple as not wanting to get behind and have enough supply for the holiday demand, but it could also be because they were worried about the market having enough in the channel to produce what they need. Or, and this is my best guess, they need their production facilities to move on to produce the iPad 3 units sooner than later but don’t want supplies of the iPad 2 to dry up before they are ready to go to market with the new model of their tablet.
With the iPad 2 being seen as the most desired consumer product for the holidays and sales figures showing their support for that sentiment, it seems unlikely that any of the negative press is correct. Particularly with other tablets circling the drain (think RIM PlayBook) and providing less and less competition. Sure a lot of people are grabbing up the Amazon Kindle Fire but just as many are deciding to hold off with news that lots of apps will need to be modified in order for them to work on the device.
No matter the reason, Apple is ready for 4-5 million iPad 2 devices to hit store shelves and consumer hands.
[via AppleInsider]