“First-quarter 2017 results of Taiwan-based makers in the iPad supply chain, notably touch panel makers TPK Holding and General Interface Solution (GIS), are hanging in the balance, depending on when Apple is going release its new iPad Pro lineup, according to industry sources,” Siu Han and Steve Shen report for DigiTimes.
“Vendors have hoped that at least one of the two large-size tablets, 10.5-inch iPad or the 12.9-inch iPad Pro, will be released in the first quarter of 2017 along with the entry-level 9.7-inch iPad,” Han and Shen report. “However, the sources said that they are now more certain that both of the planned two large-size models will not come until May-June, thereby affecting first-quarter sales of supply chain makers.”
Han and Shen report, “Overall, shipments of iPad devices are expected to reach 40 million units in 2017, down slightly from a year earlier, the sources estimated.”
Read more in the full article here.
MacDailyNews Take: Boy, it’s been quite the wait on iPad (not as bad as many Macs, but still)! At least Apple will have set themselves up for much easier compares on the iPad unit sales front.
Anyway, even down slightly at 40 million for calendar 2017 (and, that is low, as we expect a return to growth for iPad this year), plus at least 20 million Macs (especially if we, as we also expect, see some new Macs this year), keeps #1 Apple at the top of PC manufacturers with a 5+ million unit advantage over the likes of #2 (Lenovo or HP) which will likely excrete under 55 million pieces of crap upon the great unwashed.
Many of us just standing by to pull the expenditure lever for a new iPad Pro. In my case the 10.5″model replacing a creaky iPad 3. (BTW ditto waiting to buy the Mac Pro of OUR dreams [not Jony Ive’s], if ever.)
Fesarius, Do you really think Apple will really deliver another MacPro (and, IMHO, not a silly, hybrid iMacPro) this year? All they have to do is announce the update to the new Mac Pro 2017 and I am buying. I, and my money, are standing by.
Apple seriously needs to start delivering products in the first and second quarters too. It can’t always just be for xmas selling. The original iPhone was delivered on June 17 -2009. we need to go back to that timetable .
I got tired of waiting and went on and upgraded my iPad Air to the 9.7 Pro so I cd pass off the air to a nephew turning 6. Apple’s loss. I woulda spent more on a bigger one but they waited too long. Really over planning my needs around apple’s upgrade cycle. I buy HP and Apple. I do believe windows will make a resurgence – primarily because Apple’s prices and long upgrade cycles.
While waiting all year for an iMac refresh, I’ve looked into even a PC laptop to add to my aging 6 Plus phone and iPad 4, to hold me over. All Apple products are supposedly on the verge of really being brought up to speed. Everything I looked at is literally crap! There are no good budget solutions, Surface is an expensive POS- then there’s Windows! We don’t know how good we have it with the Apple products and ecosystem we all bitch and whine about. Every Apple product that is available Today not tomorrow is far beyond what I now or used to have as well as the competition. I should have immediately replaced my 7 year old iMac last year instead of waiting for the end of the next rainbow.