Digitimes reports today that Apple is cutting shipments of the iPad mini in the second quarter. The publication’s sources tell them that the cut will be a 20% reduction for the month of April. Steeper cuts could follow for the rest of the quarter.
Apple has reportedly cut its shipments of the iPad mini to between 10-12 million units for the second quarter of 2013, according to industry sources. The figure is based on shipment information given from multiple sources who provide various components for Apple’s iPad mini.
The decrease may be as high as 20% a month during April, the sources noted, and may continue to slightly decrease throughout the quarter to bring total shipments of the iPad mini to as low as 10 million units during the quarter.
The report doesn’t say if the cuts are due to previous production plans, or due to lowered sales. Apple may be making preparations to devote production to the next-generation iPad mini, or as the report claims, it may be due to competition from 7-inch tablets from competitor such as Samsung and Google.
Production cut rumors are always difficult to get a handle on, as Apple’s internal build plans can change quickly as they react to market conditions and supply chain changes.
DisplaySearch analyst Paul Semenza has speculated that the next-gen iPad mini would be released in the third or fourth quarter of 2013. The ever reliable KGI Securities analyst Ming-Chi Kuo has also said a third-quarter release for the next iPad mini looks right to him.
