Rollout ready?
A handful of big UK stores have either sold out or cut the price of Apple's iPad, which many people think might suggest that version 2 will shortly be on its way, a view that is bolstered by other rumours.
Suspiciously The Carphone Warehouse's online shop has sold out of 64GB models and completely sold out of contract tablets across the networks.
Meanwhile Orange and T-Mobile have cut the price of the tablet to just £99 on a 24 month contract for existing customers. The tablet previously cost £199 on the same deal.
Orange told V3 that the price cut is for a ‘limited time only' but Tony Cripps, principal analyst at Ovum reckons resellers are getting rid of stock of the original iPad as it is likely the iPad 2 will be released soon.
"It's no doubt the case that companies that currently hold significant inventory of first-generation iPads will be looking to sell them before the new version is released. "If the iPhone is anything to go by, Apple will already be scaling down production of first-generation iPads, if it hasn't ceased production already. The company manages its own inventory very tightly," he reportedly said.
Version 2 of the popular slate is believed to be thinner and lighter plus feature a camera for video calling but not a better resolution screen. Indeed there have been rumours that an iPad 3 is expected before the close of the year with a more dramatically different spec including a better screen.
While iPads disappearing from the shelves and price cuts might hint that a swift refresh is due, Reuters has reported that that new iPad will launch on 2 March.
There were rumours that the unveiling could be delayed until June although Reuters said a source has rubbished that and said Apple is sticking to the seasonal schedule set by the first iPad which hit the shops last April.
The news services' source said Apple will host an event on 2 March to unveil the revamped tablet, but of course this has not been confirmed by the company.
It's shares reportedly took a bit of a battering after a Taiwanese firm claimed there were production bottlenecks that would delay the launch. However, analysts were apparently quick to downplay the news because of Apple's reliable track record when it comes to refresh schedules.
Morgan Keegan analyst Tavis McCourt told Reuters investors were overreacting to the delay rumours and that even if the launch is a little later and affects Q2 sales, he still expects Apple to sell around 27 million iPads in a full year.
