Even as the white iPhone 4 was launching, the iPad 3 release date was the buzz of April 2011. The barely-there inventory fiasco of the iPad 2 launch combined with the lack of a major redesign had some corners looking to the iPad’s future history instead.
Whether based on any actual info or mere wishful thinking, it was posited that the iPad 3 could arrive early, as soon as later this year, to wash away botched iPad 2 launch in a tidal wave of revolutionary new design. And yet as we head into June, little to nothing has since emerged to back that theory up. Apple has, if not cleaned up the iPad 2 inventory situation, managed to stabilize it. Placing an order now means it’ll ship in one to two weeks. And while that’s still not where the company wants to be, it’s a far better situation than when the iPad 2 first launched. And it’s perhaps remarkable that there haven’t (thus far) been any further delays in ship times since that unfortunate accident at the factory where iPads are manufactured.
Meanwhile, it’s all smooth sailing on the iPhone 4 side of the fence. The original iPhone 4, which saw an even more messy inventory situation during its 2010 launch, is now available within twenty-four hours. So is the white iPhone 4, which went on sale last month and temporarily saw some delay in shipping but has now stabilized to the point that it’s also available within twenty-four hours. Here’s the kicker, though: with Apple’s inventory situation having stabilized, things are quiet. Too quiet. Although there’s no clear path showing any new Apple hardware at WWDC next month, the mere quiet itself gives lie to the feel that something must be coming, in some product line, somehow, some way. Such gut feelings are far from consistently accurate. But with the iOS product line reaching the kind of shipping and turnover consistency that there’s no longer any disruptiveness to it, the question has to be asked: what’s next? According to Apple’s traditional calendar, the iPad 3 can’t likely be expected until the spring of 2012. So is there something else cooking in the mean time for June? We’ll find out soon enough. Here’s more on the white iPhone 4.
- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad
