DigiTimes
adds fuel to the fire Monday morning with a report that Apple is looking to add a second manufacturing partner for its popular iPad line of tablets in order to help meet demand when the company launches a new iPad model this fall. The report adds that either iPhone maker Pegatron Technology or Quanta Computer will likely gain the contract to build iPads alongside Foxconn. While the report refers to an “iPad 3” that will launch later this year, it has become increasingly likely that the new model rumored to launch in September will be a complimentary iPad variant as opposed to a new model. Dubbed the “iPad 2 Plus” or “iPad HD” by analysts and the media, the high-end iPad is said to feature specs similar to the current iPad 2 but with a double-resolution display, among other things. According to DigiTimes’ report, the new iPad model will launch either late in the third quater or early in the fourth quarter, with third-quarter shipments expected to ramp up to 13 million units.