iPad mini may suffer from supply problems, according to analyst

iPad mini (miniature)The iPad mini was announced yesterday, during the Apple special event that took place at the California Theater. Its pre-sale will start this Friday (10/26) and its Wi-Fi versions will be available in stores in some countries still in Brazil from November 2nd.

However, according to analyst Richard Shim of NPD DisplaySearch, the new tablet could suffer from supply problems during its first months of sales. As Samsung did not supply screens for the iPad mini, Apple was stuck with only two suppliers: LG Display and AU Optronics.

Although the two are already part of Apple's supply chain, AUO is relatively new and is still unable to meet Apple's demand for screens.

AUO is experiencing production problems with the 7.9 ″ panel. () AUO dispatched only about 100,000 units. The production plan aims to reach 400,000 units in October, 800,000 units in November and 1 million in December.

According to Shim, LG Display shipped 300,000 panels to Apple in September and plans to ship 1 million in October, reaching 3 million in December.

Even with the rapid growth in the production capacity of the suppliers, these "low" numbers will not be enough to supply the demand for iPad mini, putting the delivery time of the devices up there, according to Shim.

If you plan to buy the iPad mini, you better do it soon.

(via CNET)