 Apple had originally told suppliers it wanted to commence production in the first quarter of the year, the WSJ reported people familiar with the matter as stating, with suppliers now told to begin production in the second half.
Apple is now considering adding USB ports and adopting USB 3.0 technology, the WSJ reported, with the sources stating Apple has been considering adding ports to connect to a keyboard and mouse. “Apple has continued to rework some of the features of the larger iPad – it is now considering the faster technology for data synchronisation between the larger iPad and other computing devices,” the WSJ reported a source as stating. “Apple is also working on technology to speed up the iPad charging time, but it remains uncertain if the final design will have these new features.” Meanwhile, Bloomberg has reported a source as stating production is now scheduled to start around September because of delays related to the supply of display panels. The anticipated release of the 12.9″ iPad comes amid declining global tablet sales, with International Data Corporation figures earlier in the year revealing worldwide shipments recorded a year-on-year decline in the 2014 fourth quarter, the first decline since the market’s inception in 2010. While Apple maintained its position as the top global vendor in the 2014 fourth quarter, it saw its market share drop from 33.1 per cent to 28.1 per cent year-on-year, posting a 17.8 per cent decline in growth. “Cannibalisation at the bottom from the iPhone and at the top from the Mac appear to be a serious issue for the iPad,” the IDC noted. |
