Friday, March 18, 2011
An analysis of the new device, which is assembled in China, found that five key parts were sourced from the stricken nation, including its unique battery and compass. The iPad 2’s new, more durable screen glass is also probably supplied by a high-tech Japanese glassmaker, it’s claimed.
The Japanese economy was crippled by last Friday's earthquake and tsunami, with Tokyo's streets increasingly deserted as people flee and stay in door in fear of radiation from the Fukushima nuclear reactors. Factories across the country sent workers home and have been hit by power cuts.
It would be difficult for Apple to find an alternative supplier for several of the the iPad’s Japanese components, said IHS iSuppli.
“The iPad 2’s compass works in close coordination with the tablet’s accelerometer and gyroscope. This makes it impossible to simply replace one manufacturer’s compass with another,” said principal analyst Jérémie Bouchaud.
The iPad 2's battery cells, largely responsible for its thinness compared to the first version, are meanwhile manufactured by Apple’s Japanese arm using advanced techniques that firms outside Japan may not be able to replicate, iSuppli said.
By: DocMemory
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