Is Apple delaying the launch of its iPad by a month?

This decision may be taken due to manufacturing problems, but is this the real reason for the delay?

iPad Wi-Fi model

Side view

Rumors have surfaced that Apple may delay the launch of the iPad by up to a month, because of a manufacturing bottleneck at Hon Hai Precision (Foxconn). Apple had estimated shipping 1 million units during the iPad's launch, but only 300 thousand will be ready this month. Apple is considering either delaying the launch until April, or restricting the launch to the US market only.

Apple is withholding the UK prices for the iPad, but some figures have started to leak. The 16GB, 32GB and 64GB Wi-Fi models will cost £389, £439 and £489 respectively. If these prices are confirmed, then it's obvious that Apple's plan is to merely delay the launch, rather than restrict supply to the US initially. UK pricing details of the 3G models is still unknown.

We recently reported HP's plan to undercut Apple's iPad with the Slate. Whilst HP's Slate excites consumers with a release date set for sometime this year, Microsoft is also quietly leaking information about its new tablet PC, called the 'Courier'. Whilst it is plausible that Apple has faced manufacturing problems, is there a more pressing reason as to why Apple would delay the launch of the iPad? There are suggestions that Apple is actually worried about its competitors, the Slate and Courier. An Apple employee has been quoted saying that the company is panicking, and is adopting an emergency strategy to reduce the iPad's price prior to launch. Apple may also be planning to bolster the iPad with improved specifications and capabilities.

Why would Apple need to improve the iPad? Is it insecure about its highly promoted product? We recently listed ten of the iPad's most significant weaknesses; of the ten, perhaps the most fundamental one was the machine's inability to multitask. Other weaknesses include the device's lack of Flash support, an integrated card reader, a USB port, a HDMI port, a webcam and 16:9 aspect ratio. The Slate offers all of these things and more. Apple may well launch the iPad unchanged, but it may update its product over the coming months, as the product's reception by consumers may highlight its weaknesses and confirm Apple's worries: that its competitors will capitalize on the iPad's weaknesses.

Specifications