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Apple (AAPL) May Ship 8M iPad Minis in Q4; Panel Yields Again Crimp Sales

December 26, 2012 6:18 AM EST
Apple, Inc. (Nasdaq: AAPL) may be in for a stronger start Wednesday following positive chatter surrounding its iPad mini tablet.

Digitimes cites Taiwan supply chain sources in saying demand for the device has been high recently with ODMs struggling to keep up. About 8 million iPad mini units are expected to be sold in the fourth quarter, quite the achievement given that the device launched nearly one month after the quarter started.

Suppliers prepped about 10 million to 12 million components for the iPad mini in the quarter, but, as was seen with the iPhone 5, yields on touch panels were low and unable to keep up with demand.

Sources told Digitimes that 13 million iPad minis are expected to sell in the first-quarter of 2013.

Whether this is a good thing or bad thing for Apple is debatable. The iPad mini, with lower margins, might be cannibalizing sales of its larger relative, but may also be stealing away sales from the likes of Amazon.com (Nasdaq: AMZN), Barnes & Noble (NYSE: BKS), and others.


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