Following a recent report that iPad 2 production was backlogged, Apple supposedly pushed the ship date of the refreshed tablet into the summer, we’re now hearing indications that they’ll be in stores as early as next week. AppleInsider is quoting the well-known “people familiar with the matter” as saying that at least some iPad 2s “will be in transit to retail outlets” during next Wednesday’s announcement. Last week, Yuanta, a Taiwanese research firm said that there had been production problems with the second-generation iPad that would delay the release by was much as two months. Most analysts are saying these reports were overblown, and both Apple and iPad manufacturer Foxconn saw their stock prices plummet. Twin reported on Friday that Yuanta was in fact completely wrong. Jon Packzkowski from the Wall Street Journal’s Digital Daily blog quoted Barclays analyst Kirk Yang as saying that iPad 2 shipments would start in early April. Delays past the original estimate of March are due to “production line setup and training,” not an production problem, Yang said. The folks over at AppleInsider say that Apple is greasingt he skids for a major product rollout in the second half of next week. According to AppleInsider’s sources, they are “preparing several of its operating systems to perform functions during the second half of next week that are representative of nothing short of a large scale, consumer-oriented prodct roll out (not just an announcement).” Though this is clearly just rumors, AppleInsider notes that these sources have “consistently provided accurate information” about Apple’s plans and timing. The bottom line is that it would make no sense for Apple to announce a new tablet at the same time Motorola’s working on building up hype for the Xoom – that it couldn’t deliver for a month or more. In an increasingly competitive environment, Apple can’t take any chances and risk waiting. While we don’t know if the report is true, it would be the right move for Apple, and their choice of Wednesday for the announcement more likely than not reflects their confidence that they can get iPads on the streets quicker. As usual, stay tuned for more news and info on the topic by following us on Twitter and/or subscribing to our RSS feed. [Source: AppleInsider] Authors:

to know more click here