Apple rumoured to be on the hunt for manufacturers ready for iPad 3 launch in Q3 2011

Pitched as a sign of an alleged intention to launch a new iPad in 2011, DigiTimes reports Apple is currently in the process of sourcing a new manufacturer for the tablet.

Currently, Foxconn is the sole iPad manufacturer, but an explosion at the outfit's Chengdu plant in China has reduced the company's capacity, leaving Apple to seek out additional partners.

Firing the future

The suggestion is, Apple is reluctant to let manufacturing rates slip owing to an intention to roll out iPad 3 before the end of the year either late in the third quarter, or early in Q4.

According to sources within Taiwan, prime candidates include Pegatron Technology already rumoured to have secured a contract to produce 15 million iPhone 5s and Quanta Computer, the firm likely to manufacture Amazon's entry into the tablet market.

"The latest market rumours also indicated that the new iPad may be named iPad 2 plus and will be thinner than its predecessors yet with upgraded display," DigiTimes adds.

"Total shipments of iPad tablet PCs are expected to top 13 million units in the third quarter, estimated the sources."

[source: DigiTimes]