High demand for the iPad 2 could be to blame for the delay in shipping of the RIM PlayBook, according to a report from Digitimes.
The PlayBook, which is set to launch in the U.S. and Canada on April 19, will cost $499. But Digitimes says the release date for the 7-inch tablet was delayed by a month because of a shortage of touch-screen panels. These parts were unavailable for the PlayBook because Apple had already secured the lion's share of panels for the iPad 2.
The PlayBook was originally slated to launch in the first quarter of 2011. Citing "sources from touch-screen panel makers," Digitimes said "PlayBook shipments were postponed for about a month from the original schedule due to a delay in software testing as well as a shortage of touch panels because Apple already booked up most of the available capacity."
Earlier this year, AppleInsider discovered that Apple likely made a secret $3.9 billion supply investment to secure displays for future iPhones and iPads. In anticipation of demand for its products, Apple used those funds to pre-order around 136 million iPhone displays and 60 million iPad displays, AppleInsider said. This investment could have contributed to the PlayBook delays.
While Apple's reported foresight might have caused some problems for RIM, it was probably a good move on Apple's part, considering the strong sales of the iPad 2. The device went on sale in the U.S. on March 11, and analysts estimated that nearly half a million of the devices were sold during that first weekend.
The PlayBook has a 1024-by-600 multitouch capacitive display, and a dual-core, 1-GHz Cortex A9 microprocessor backed by a full gigabyte of RAM. It will be available in 16GB for $499, 32GB for $599, and 64GB for $699.
For more, see PCMag's hands-on with the Playbook and the slideshow below.