Pegatron, one of the Apple’s major manufacturing partners, has begun receiving orders for the next round of Apple products, according to a recent report. Pegatron is currently in the process of allocating resources to prepare to fill the orders.
DigiTimes, citing “Taiwan-based supply chain makers,” is reporting this morning that Pegatron has received orders for the new iPhone and another model of 10-inch iPad. They claim that the iPhone is slated for a September launch, and this mystery iPad for a launch in the fourth quarter.
In addition to the new iPhone and iPad, the report also claims that Foxconn is gearing up to produce a 7-inch iPad that will be releasing in August. This “iPad Mini” has been the subject of rumors for years, though recently it has begun to look as though Apple really is thinking of releasing it.
While most rumors have put the release of the new iPhone (as it will almost certainly be called) in October, matching the release of the iPhone 4S, which launched in October 2011, a September launch is not beyond the realm of possibility. If Apple wants to move back towards the summer release schedule they followed for the first four iPhones, inching it backwards a little each year would be the way to do it.
As to this mysterious second iPad, it’s highly unlikely that Apple would launch another full-sized iPad model in the third quarter, less than six months (at the most) before the launch of the 4th generation iPad. It’s possible, however, that this is the 4th generation iPad, and that DigiTimes sources are wrong about the launch date. The fourth quarter is when production on a new iPad usually starts to ramp up, and it’s possible that Pegatron is already preparing for that. On the other hand, it’s possible that DigiTimes is just wrong. That happens with enough regularity that it’s as likely as explanation as any.
Could Apple be preparing another 10-inch iPad for the fourth quarter? What about an iPad Mini just five months after the launch of the new iPad? Let us know what you think in the comments.