The iPad 2 launched this past March and just like any other huge product launch, Apple could not keep up with the demand for its hottest selling tablet computer. According to reports from today, Apple has increased production of the iPad 2 in hopes of finally meeting a shipping goal, which stands at about 14 million units for the third quarter this year. This is good news to Apple lovers as some of them had to waited almost one full month before their brand new, second generation iPad 2 was even shipped to them.
Users that are familiar with the Apple website have been watching the estimated shipping times as they are listed and updated as needed by Apple. Today, they show that an iPad 2 can be shipped within 1-3 days after placing the order. That is a little bit faster than the 3-5 days that was posted there a couple of weeks ago. If you go all the way back to April, the shipping times were posted as 1-2 weeks, so you can see the wait is much shorter over the past three months. Going all the way back to launch day in mid-March, the wait time for an iPad 2 was 4-5 weeks and customers were not happy about that at all.
The report shows that Apple might have finally caught itself up to the huge demand for the popular tablet. With an expected 14 million iPads to ship in the third quarter alone, Apple should have no problem filling the orders. Even though the iPad is generally a good seller, the first sales numbers in March and April was less than what experts expected to see. With only a little over 4 million units sold, followed by just over 7 million, Apple is also expecting a huge quarter.
Many have speculated as to why the numbers were down and things like releasing the iPad 2 so closely to the original might have been a factor. Delays from manufacturers was another thought and even though Apple planned a release of April or May, they might have felt rushed to get the iPad 2 on the market as other tablets were being released around the same times.
So, barring any delays that might come along with making the product, Apple should have plenty of the second-generation iPad this time around.
