Apple Stops Launching iPad 2 HD Preparing For iPad 3 Launch

...Apple has cancelled the launch of the iPad 2 HD in a non expected step , this cancelation caused 1,000,000 units that needed to be retooled, according to Peter Misek of Jefferies and Co.

Barrons reports that Mistek confirmed the scaleback on iPad orders first mentioned by JPMorgan, "We have confirmed the iPad 2 build plans have been scaled back," and cut estimates for Q4 to 12 million units from 13.6 million units.

1) iPad 2 HD was canceled (~1M units retooled); 2) Sooner-than- expected iPad 3 launch in late Jan; 3) Retail inventory caution due to potential demand slowdown; 4) Some production shift to Brazil. We see 29M iPads shipped in H2 vs. 14M in H1. We trim our 2011 global tablet forecast from 70M to 65M.

However Misek confirms that low shipments of iPad may be according to higher iPhone numbers: He took his iPhone estimate for Q4 up by 3 million units to 28.7 million units.

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