It is highly expected that Apple will be releasing a larger iPad, but it is not bound to hit store shelves anytime soon. In a report by the Wall Street Journal, Apple's suppliers are said to be currently focusing their efforts in meeting the demands for the latest iPhones.
"The top priority for the supply chain is to meet the overwhelming demand for the larger screen iPhones," an unnamed source from one of Apple's suppliers told the publication. "The output of the 5.5-inch iPhone 6 Plus remains unsatisfactory."
The source added, "It would be challenging for display makers to split resources and spend a few months to ramp up production for a new larger screen iPad now."
It can be recalled that within the first 24 hours when the two iPhones became available for pre-order, Apple already pre-sold over four million units. The company later announced that it sold more than 10 million units in its first weekend of sales. And that's only part of the manufacturer's market. In the succeeding weeks after its release, the company began shipping the device to other countries, and is expected to start selling the new smartphones to the Chinese market on Oct. 17.
This kind of demand is said to be keeping Apple's suppliers very busy. According to WSJ, even Foxconn, a major assembler of electronic products in China and has over 200,000 workers dedicated to the Apple line, is "facing the challenge of hiring enough factory workers to assemble the two new iPhones at its largest production site in Zhengzhou, in northern China."
Nevertheless, a delay won't and can't stop gadget enthusiasts from anticipating what the purported tablet will offer. If speculations prove to be accurate, then consumers can expect to see an iPad sporting a 12.9-inch LCD screen and would have a TouchID finger sensor, among other features. Also, it will most likely be geared toward meeting the needs of the working class – which is, in a sense, quite reminiscent of Microsoft's strategy with the Surface Pro 3.
At any rate, if Apple is indeed planning on releasing a new iPad anytime soon, then details will likely be announced in the company's event on Oct. 16.
