Apple had been experiencing some shortages with the new iPad mini since its launch. However, it seems that is about to end as Apple has increased orders to 4 million units, just in time for Black Friday, according to an unnamed supply chain source based in Taiwan.
The reason for the shortages, according to a report by Digitimes, has been blamed on the device's 7.9-inch Retina display. Apparently, manufacturers were having problems packing the same amount of pixels of the 9.7-inch Retina display on the iPad Air into the iPad mini's 7.9-inch display. It was a difficult task, but it appears the problem has been solved and at the right time, as Black Friday nears.
Production issues as this, forced Apple to launch the device in mid-November with the device being available on November 12 without any prior indication. At first, Apple required consumers to take advantage of its "Personal Pickup" service rather than walk into an Apple store to purchase the device.
However, Apple changed its tune and began to offer walk-in purchases some time last week. This was seen as a sign that the shortage problem had been taken care of, and it shouldn't be long before the iPad mini is available in abundance. Furthermore, the Cupertino giant even began to launch the iPad mini on regional carriers across the United States such as U.S. Cellular, Bluegrass Cellular and C-Spire Wireless. These four wireless carriers joined powerhouses such as AT&T, Verizon, Sprint and T-Mobile in having the iPad mini on their shelves.
Recently, Apple CEO Tim Cook had said that it was unclear if the company would have sufficient iPad mini in stock for the holiday season. With this new report, however, it is clear that Apple has overcome its supply problems and is now quite prepared for the battle to come before the beginning of the new year.
