There is further indication that Apple could be ramping up iPad shipments in the next month. According to Digitimes, Apple will ship 5 million touch-screen sensors for the iPad 2 in July.
Citing "sources with Apple's supply chain," Digitimes said Apple also shipped 5 million touch panels in June.
This corroborates a Digitimes report from last week that claimed Apple is looking to increase iPad 2 shipments to as much as 14 million units in the third quarter. Apple will report second quarter results on July 19, and it's expected to have sold between 7 million and 9 million iPads. In the first quarter, Apple reported that iPad sales had declined slightly, down to 4.69 million from the previous period's 7.33 million, despite the iPad 2 being unveiled in March.
But Apple was reportedly plagued by a hitch in its supply chain that was rumored to be caused in part by the March earthquake that ravaged Japan and affected many component suppliers. COO Tim Cook said in the last earnings report that with the second-gen tablet, Apple was faced with the "mother of all backlogs."
The iPad 2 reportedly sold out within days of its launch both in the U.S. and abroad, and if the rumors are true, it seems the company is anticipating that the iPad 2 will continue to be a highly coveted product in the coming months.
There has also been a rather pervasive rumor that Apple will launch the iPad 3 this fall. In a separate report, Digitimes said last week that Apple is gearing up to begin production on the third version of the tablet very soon.
But Apple won't comment on the rumors. Whether the company will break its usual annual product update cycle and launch another iPad this fall remains to be seen. Regardless, it seems the company is making an effort to sell more iPads.