Always keen on never putting all its eggs in one basket, Apple has been trying to mitigate risk by sourcing components from multiple suppliers. The same goes for product assembly. Though the firm traditionally outsources manufacturing to Foxconn, the world’s largest product assembler, Taipei, Taiwan-based Pegatron Technology has been rising increasingly as Apple’s other manufacturing partner. According to a report from an Asian trade publication, Pegatron will now get to build the majority of iPad orders for the next three years…
Though DigiTimes has a hit-and-miss track record when it comes to the Apple rumors space, the publication is usually right about news related to manufacturing, as well as materials and component procurement.
DigiTimes wrote yesterday:
In the future, Apple is expected to gradually adjust its order strategy, outsourcing the majority of its iPad orders (60-70%) and minority of iPhone orders to Pegatron for the next three years and Foxconn Electronics (Hon Hai Precision Industry) vise versa, the sources noted.
DigiTimes’ sources expect iPad mini shipments between eight and ten million units by the end of 2012. The firm should see some strong sales in Q1 2013 due to the iPad mini biz which in November helped Pegatron post a massive 64 percent year-on-year growth.
Given the iPad mini’s December 7 launch in China, the 1.33 billion people opportunity, strong demand for the tablet should easily extend to the end of the first quarter of 2013.