Could signal modest demand for fourth-gen tablet

Wi-Fi models of the fourth-generation iPad are now listed as "in stock" at Apple's US and Canadian online stores, checks show. Before its November 2nd launch the hardware switched to a one-week delay, and more recently times were reduced to between 3 and 5 business days. The latest development suggests that Apple has caught up with demand, and that perhaps that public interest is relatively modest, due to the simultaneous introduction of the Mini and very few differences with the third-generation iPad, which was only released in March.

The Wall Street Journal meanwhile reports that Apple has sold out of launch quantities of the Indian iPhone 5. That may, however, be linked to an extremely small initial supply, purportedly as low as 10,000 to 15,000 units. "We were sold out within 24 hours of launch. It's all gone," says Himanshu Chakrawarti, CEO of The MobileStore, a retailer with some 900 outlets across India.

Analysts estimate that Apple will deliver about 100,000 iPhones to India within the first month, and 200,000 by the end of 2012. India is a relatively low-priority target for Apple; while the region's market is growing, the iPhone is still a prohibitively expensive device for most Indians, and the country's cellular networks are underdeveloped. Instead Apple has been concentrating on North America, Europe, and China.

by MacNN Staff