“Apple Inc. suppliers have pushed back plans to mass produce a larger-screen tablet to early next year, people familiar with the matter said, as they struggle to make enough new iPhones to meet strong demand,” Lorraine Luk and Daisuke Wakabayashi report for The Wall Street Journal.
“Suppliers of the Cupertino, Calif., company had originally planned to produce the larger iPad in mass volume beginning in December, the people said,” Luk and Wakabayashi report. “‘The top priority for the supply chain is to meet the overwhelming demand for the larger screen iPhones. The output of the 5.5-inch iPhone 6 Plus remains unsatisfactory,’ said a person at a supplier. ‘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.'”
“Foxconn, a major assembler of Apple’s iPhones and iPads, is also facing the challenge of hiring enough factory workers to assemble the two new iPhones at its largest production site in Zhengzhou, in northern China. At the plant, more than 200,000 workers are dedicated to just making the new iPhones and key components such as metal casings,” Luk and Wakabayashi report. “Suppliers in Asia say Apple’s larger tablet will likely have a 12.9-inch liquid-crystal-display screen with resolution that is similar to the current 9.7-inch iPad Air unveiled in October last year. Apple said Wednesday it is hosting a media event on Oct. 16. While the media invite didn’t say what will be discussed, it is expected that Apple will unveil new iPads and iMacs. It remains unclear if the company will unveil plans for the larger iPad at the event… Suppliers are also preparing for mass production of a 12-inch MacBook Air in December, featuring a higher resolution display, people familiar with the matter said. ”
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