This Month Apple Plans To Ship 5 Million iPad 2s

According to information from Apple’s supply chain, Apple is set to ship about five million iPad 2 devices during July. As a brief report by DigiTimes reads, orders for five million touch sensors specifically designed for second-gen iPad were placed by the company:

Five million touch sensors for the iPad 2 will be shipped in July, according to sources with Apple’s supply chain. Shipments in June were also five million, with TPK Holding and Wintek supplying 1.4-1.6 million units each and the remaining by Cando, Sintek Photronic and Chimei Innolux (CMI), the sources indicated.

Orders for five million iPad 2 units indicate that there is healthy demand on the market in spite of the supply and product transition issues in the previous quarter. Considering 4.69 million iPads ordered last quarter and current rate of 5 million units a month, Apple could ship about forty million iPads during the 2011 year exceeding analysts’ forecasts.

Industry sources also told DigiTimes that Apple has started ordering parts for the third-generation iPad, which the company plans to debut in small numbers in September and in great numbers the following month. Sources suggest that the device may be “even thinner and lighter”, boasting panel resolution of 250dpi.

The new report was issued soon after the recent story claiming that Apple commissioned Pegatron to speed up manufacturing of the fifth-generation iPhone, which is quite reasonable if the company plans to release the handset this fall.