iPad 2 News: iPad 2 Glass in Short Supply Due to Japan Quake?

Posted Mar 22, 2011 at 6:47AM EST by QJ Staff

Listed in: iPad 2 News Tags: apple, ios, news

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Apple’s inventory of iPad 2s is already inadequate to meet the demand for the new tablet, but supplies could be getting even shorter. According to HIS iSuppli, a company expected to supply the hardened glass overlay for the iPad 2 has admitted that one of its factories suffered earthquake damage and another was affected by fire. iSuppli analyst Wayne Lam explained: “There are two major types of hardened glass that could be used by the iPad 2. One is Corning’s Gorilla Glass, and the other is Asahi Glass Co.’s Dragontrail Glass. Both behave very similarly. They’re still glass, but they’re very flexible, hardened and scratch-proof.” Asahi Glass claims one of its factories had been “partially damaged” and production will not restart for at least a month. Lam added, “What we don’t know about Japan is how quickly these companies can get their production facilities back up. That’s the big question.” Could these shutdowns affect the production of the iPad 2? Lam predicts: “The Japanese companies have generally been very, very quiet about this. I would think we would know better within weeks, not months.” That’s not nearly soon enough, as Apple is already plagued by product shortages, delayed shipments and unhappy customers, plus the international rollout of the iPad 2 is scheduled for Friday.

How soon are the real problems likely to hit? “Right now they're running through that first batch of materials,” Lam stated. “The real problems could come for the second and third batches.” This does not bode well for the future of the iPad 2 and its ability to compete with the other tablets being introduced over the next few months.

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