Apple Lining Up iPad 3 Suppliers in Face of Increasing Number of Competitors

123254 ipad 4 2 profile

Digitimes reports on several Taiwan-based companies that have been picked to supply parts for the upcoming iPad 3.

Taiwan-based IC design houses Novatek Microelectronics, Richtek Technology, Capella Microsystems (Taiwan) and Integrated Memory Logic (iML) have reportedly entered the supply chain for iPad 3, according to industry sources.

The exact companies aren't likely of much interest to our readers, but Digitimes also claims that Apple seems more willing to use integrated circuits from Taiwan-based manufacturers "as it is adjusting the cost structure for iPad tablets in order to compete with an array of tablet PCs to be launched by rivals in the second half of 2011."

It's not entirely clear what this will mean to the customer in the end. Lower cost parts may mean less expensive iPads, but it may simply offer more capabilities at the same price. Apple's roadmap for the iPad 3 remains unclear as there have been numerous conflicting reports about the iPad 3's capabilities and release date.

Related Roundup: iPad
Buyer's Guide: iPad (Neutral)
Related Forum: iPad

Popular Stories

iOS 26

6 New Things Your iPhone Can Do in iOS 26.1

Wednesday October 29, 2025 4:22 am PDT by
Apple is about to drop iOS 26.1, the first major point release since iOS 26 was rolled out in September, and there are at least six notable changes and improvements to look forward to. We've rounded them up below. Apple has already provided developers and public beta testers with the release candidate version of iOS 26.1, which means Apple will likely roll out the update to all compatible...
ios 26 1 slide to stop

iOS 26.1 Brings Back 2007 Feature in New Way

Friday October 31, 2025 1:40 pm PDT by
The upcoming iOS 26.1 update includes a small but helpful change for iPhones, and it could prevent you from running late to something important. Specifically, when an alarm goes off in the Clock app, there is a new "slide to stop" control on the screen for turning off the alarm. On previous iOS 26 versions, there is simply a large "stop" button, which could be accidentally tapped. The new ...
iOS 26

iOS 26.1 Coming Soon: New Features for Your iPhone and Release Date

Monday October 27, 2025 7:55 am PDT by
The upcoming iOS 26.1 update includes a handful of new features and changes for iPhones, including a toggle for changing the appearance of the Liquid Glass design, "slide to stop" for alarms in the Clock app, and more. Below, we outline key details about iOS 26.1. Release Date Given that Apple has yet to seed an iOS 26.1 Release Candidate, which is typically the final beta version, the...
M5 MacBook Pro

Waiting for New Macs? Apple Just Shared Bad News

Friday October 31, 2025 7:32 am PDT by
Apple has just given a strong indication that it will not be releasing any additional new Macs for the remainder of the year. Apple's CFO Kevan Parekh dropped the hint during the company's earnings call on Thursday:On Mac, keep in mind, we expect to face a very difficult compare against the M4 MacBook Pro, Mac mini, and iMac launches in the year-ago quarter.Parekh essentially gave a heads up ...
iPhone 17 Pro Cosmic Orange

8 Reasons to Wait for Next Year's iPhone 18 Pro

Thursday October 30, 2025 4:42 am PDT by
Apple's iPhone development roadmap runs several years into the future and the company is continually working with suppliers on several successive iPhone models at the same time, which is why we often get rumored features months ahead of launch. The iPhone 18 series is no different, and we already have a good idea of what to expect for the iPhone 18 Pro and iPhone 18 Pro Max. One thing worth...
maxresdefault

Apple TV 4K Could Still Launch Before 2025 Ends: All the Rumored Features

Monday October 27, 2025 4:51 pm PDT by
Apple is designing an updated version of the Apple TV 4K, and rumors suggest that it could come out sometime in the next couple of months. We're not expecting a major overhaul with design changes, but even a simple chip upgrade will bring major improvements to Apple's set-top box. Subscribe to the MacRumors YouTube channel for more videos. We've rounded up all the latest Apple TV rumors. ...
ipad mini 7 feature blue

OLED iPad Mini: Release Date, Pricing, and What to Expect

Wednesday October 29, 2025 7:13 am PDT by
Rumors are stoking excitement for the next-generation iPad mini that Apple is reportedly close to launching. So what should we expect from the successor to the iPad mini 7 that Apple released over a year ago? Read on to find out. Processor and Performance Apple is working on a next-generation version of the iPad mini (codename J510/J511) that features the A19 Pro chip, according to...
iOS 26

Apple Seeds iOS 26.1, iPadOS 26.1, and macOS Tahoe 26.1 Release Candidates

Tuesday October 28, 2025 1:07 pm PDT by
Apple today provided developers and public beta testers with the release candidate versions of upcoming iOS 26.1, iPadOS 26.1, macOS Tahoe 26.1, tvOS 26.1, watchOS 26.1, and visionOS 26.1 updates for testing purposes. The RCs betas come a week after Apple released the fourth betas. The new betas can be downloaded from the Settings app on a compatible device by going to General > Software...
apple tv hd

Apple Launched Its Big New Vision for TV 10 Years Ago Today

Thursday October 30, 2025 8:58 am PDT by
Apple launched the Apple TV HD, the Siri Remote, tvOS, and their accompanying App Store a decade ago today, marking a major overhaul of the device. The new vision for the Apple TV was unveiled on September 9, 2015 during Apple's "Hey Siri" event in San Francisco, where CEO Tim Cook introduced the device with the statement, "The future of TV is apps." The announcement represented a major...

Top Rated Comments

Neodym Avatar
186 months ago
Rumours say iPad 3 this year. Jobs says 2011 year of iPad 2. I believe Jobs on this one.
It's ridiculous how people take a presentation slide to interpret whatever they want to believe!

Steve never said that there won't be any other tablet product to be released except for the the current iPad 2. The linked slide said "2011: Year of the iPad 2".

If iPad 2 has been sold for more than half of the year, one could say it has been the year of the iPad 2.

If the numbers of the iPad 2 exceed those of a potential iPad 3 (or iPad 2 HD) it would still be the year of the iPad 2.

If Apple would release an iPad 2 HD it would also still be the year of the iPad 2.

There are dozens of possibilities - even a non-native speaker like myself can understand that!

Oh and btw: business is war - an experienced boss like Steve would not give away too much information too soon!
Score: 10 Votes (Like | Disagree)
rosalindavenue Avatar
186 months ago
Maybe they are locking in the parts and perhaps even starting manufacture of the iPad 3 later this year so that when they ship it in March 2012 they won't have the horrible supply bottlenecks that have plagued them with iPads 1 and 2.
Score: 9 Votes (Like | Disagree)
davie18 Avatar
186 months ago
iPad 3 rumours already?

Must be running our of iPhone 5 rumours...
Score: 9 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Sardonick007 Avatar
186 months ago
ipad 3 is going to rule the world if they get their content providers sorted. Stil no proper magazine or feed subscirptions here in euroland. Can't get fortune or Time magazine on iPad subscription.

Content is one thing, I just hope "willing to use..." doesn't mean "wiling to compromise" I would hate to lose quality to save a few bucks.
Score: 6 Votes (Like | Disagree)
nerdo Avatar
186 months ago
ipad 3 is going to rule the world if they get their content providers sorted. Stil no proper magazine or feed subscirptions here in euroland. Can't get fortune or Time magazine on iPad subscription.

Would also love a retina display iPad3 navigation that can use a bluetooth rearview camera :)
Score: 6 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Supermacguy Avatar
186 months ago
The Apple pricing structure

The iPads, like all other Apple products, will almost assuredly NEVER GO DOWN IN PRICE. Nothing ever does (there are a handful of exceptions). They always keep the price the same, but add "more" features or new technology. Price of 1996 PowerMac 7100/66: $2500, price of base Mac Pro tower 2011: $2500.
Score: 5 Votes (Like | Disagree)