WSJ: Huge iPhone 6 demand will delay Apple’s 12.9-inch iPad Pro launch

WSJ: Huge iPhone 6 demand will delay Apple’s 12.9-inch iPad Pro launch

The bigger 12.9-inch iPad Pro tablet was supposed to enter production in December,The Wall Street Journal has learned, but that isn’t happening anymore because Applesuppliers are still struggling to meet tremendous iPhone 6 demand.

Apple’s 2014 iPhone models are selling like hot cakes in more than 30 countries, with the devices expected to soon launch in China and India, two important mobile markets with a large number of potential buyers. The iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus are still sold out in many regional Apple online stores, with buyers having to wait anywhere from seven days to a few weeks to have their units shipped.

“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,” an unidentified person familiar with Apple’s supply chain said. “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.”

“Everyone is busy with the new iPhones, Foxconn’s bread and butter. Chairman [Terry Gou] has also gone to the Zhengzhou site to monitor the production closely,” a Foxconn official further added.

Other reports have revealed Apple is adapting iPhone 6 production lines to better meet the increased, unexpected, demand for the iPhone 6 Plus. Furthermore, Foxconn is reportedly hiring more workers to make sure it can produce enough iPhones. At the Zhengzhou plant alone, more than 200,000 workers are making iPhone 6 units — overall, Foxconn has well over 1 million workers.

Apple has confirmed it sold more than 10 million iPhone 6 units during the launch weekend, with recent estimates suggesting it may have sold more than 21 million unitsin the first two weeks, and other reports claiming more than 4 million iPhone 6 unitshave been already reserved in China, ahead of official preorders.

Meanwhile, not many details are known about the bigger iOS tablet, unofficial called iPad Pro. The Journal says the 12.9-inch device will “likely” have a LCD screen with resolution similar to the 9.7-inch iPad Air. Highly questionable reports have recently suggested a special iPad Pro capable of running a special operating system that includes OS X and iOS is also in development alongside a regular iOS-only iPad Pro.

The Journal also added that the 12-inch Retina MacBook Air is supposed to enter production in December, without revealing other details about the rumored Air model other than its higher-resolution display.

SOURCE:THE WALL STREET JOURNAL