According to a cryptic research note from RBC Capital Markets, chipmakers are preparing for a fast-tracked 2nd-generation iPad mini.
CNET:
RBC Capital Markets analyst Doug Freedman — who is in China visiting chip companies this week — offered this ambiguous Apple note: “iPad Mini Gen-2: Apple’s gen-2 iPad mini is getting pulled-in, and is likely to have several new suppliers, with TXN gaining content.”
As CNET notes, “pulled in” would imply that Apple is moving up the debut of the next iPad mini. Of course, no release date for the 2nd generation iPad mini has ever been announced, so… And as noted in the article, the current generation iPad mini is still in short supply, with Apple showing shipping times of “one week” in the Apple Store online.
The “TXN” reference in the note refers to Texas Instruments, which has been a supplier for components used in the production of the iPads.
Another comment in Freedman’s research note bears interest.
“Samsung handset road-map: Samsung display will be ready to ship unbreakable plastic substrate screen by 2q end, with bendable in 2h13,” he wrote, referring to the second quarter and second half of 2013, respectively.
Samsung mentioned phones with bendable screens as recently as last month.
