2.5 Million iPad 2s Shipped Last Month, Production Output to Reach 4 Million Units per Month
According to a new DigiTimes report published earlier today, Foxconn, the company that assembles all iOS devices on behalf of Apple, is currently shipping about 2.5 million iPad 2s a month, to meet the overwhelming demand for the device.
While 2.5 million units a month may seem like a lot, it is still much lower than Apple’s production target, which is close to 5 million units a month.
Foxconn is currently ramping up more production lines, and should be able to ship at least 4 million units a month, for the months of April, June and May, to match Apple’s current forecast of at least 12 million units to be sold during this period.
Sales of iPad 2 are running at a rate faster than its predecessor, and Apple took delivery of 2.4-2.6 million units in March, the sources noted.
Based on a conservative estimate, Apple is likely to take delivery of 4-4.3 million units a month, or a total of over 12 million units, of iPad 2 tablets in the second quarter, said the sources.
While Apple has been extremely secretive when it comes to how many iPad 2s the company sold so far, the iPad 2 production output for the month of March leads us to believe that Apple sold at least 3 million units within the three weeks following the introduction of the device, as Foxconn built at least 500,000 units during the month of April, and the 2.5 million units shipped during March most likely sold instantly.
Note that official sales figures should be released by Apple during its upcoming earnings call on April 20. In comparison, Apple sold ‘only’ 1 million first generation iPads within the first month following its launch, on April 3 2010.