A Canaccord Adams analyst sparked Internet debate earlier this week by suggesting that a "manufacturing bottleneck" at Hon Hai Precision could push the launch of Apple's iPad back to April, but that prediction has now been refuted by suppliers at the Taiwanese manufacturer.
According to Chinese newspaper digitimes, Hon Hai Precision's suppliers have revealed that the manufacturer is on course to deliver 600k - 700k iPads this month, followed by a further one million units in April.
The figures contradict recent reports that suggested only 300k units would be available in March, with Apple rumoured to be considering a US-only launch, followed by other regions a month later.
Apple originally announced that the iPad would ship 60 days after being unveiled on January 27th, and the latest information from Taiwanese manufacturers appears to backup that timeframe.
Fuelling the speculation, US website examiner.com claims to have confirmed launch details with an anonymous Apple Store manager in Southern California. According to the site's sources, a release date of March 26 "is very likely" for the Wi-Fi-only model, followed by a launch of the 3G devices in April or May.
The US Apple Store manager also revealed that nationwide stores will receive the first shipments on March 10, ahead of a TV ad campaign beginning on March 15th - in which e-reader functionality is said to be an emphasis. Perhaps in an effort to create further interest among consumers, the anonymous store manager also stated that consumers who camp out for the iPad launch will receive a "special gift". The gift could be just about anything, but something tells us it won't be an Amazon Kindle.
