Apple Working On Three New Versions Of iPad

Apple is reportedly planning on releasing three different versions of its next generation iPad, according to Taiwanese industry publication DigiTimes.

The claims come on the heels of a report published earlier this week in the publication, which quoted unnamed Apple iPhone suppliers saying Apple had raised first quarter 2011 iPhone shipments.

The iPads will support a combination of WiFi, UMTS and CDMA functionalities according to the report, with “mass production” beginning in January.

Production Increase

“Apple will ship about 500,000-530,000 units to channels in January with shipment ratio of Wi-Fi, UMTS and CDMA models at 3:4:3, according to industry sources, citing upstream component makers,” the report read. “The sources pointed out that about 60-65 percent of current iPad shipments are 3G models, indicating that consumers prefer models that are able to connect to the Internet all the time, therefore Apple is aiming to work even more closely with telecom carriers by offering more wireless solutions for iPad 2 to satisfy market demand.”

The sources quoted in the article also said Apple is working to strengthen the antismudge capabilities and improve the anti-reflective properties of the iPad’s touch screen. “Since Apple’s upstream supply chain is estimated to ship about 16 million iPads in 2010, the sources expects about 2-3 million iPad units of inventory will remain in the channel rolling over into 2011,” the report said. “Since Apple will gradually stop the production of iPad after January and launch iPad 2 by the end of the first quarter or the beginning of the second, the remaining iPad inventory should be able to satisfy demand during that period of time.”

The publication’s report earlier this week claimed Apple raised its shipment goal for the first quarter of 2011 to around 20 million iPhones. DigiTimes quoted unnamed component suppliers based in Taiwan saying the first-quarter shipment goal for WCDMA iPhones has been adjusted from 13 million units to 14 million to 15 million units and soon-to-launch CDMA iPhones have been set at 5 million to 6 million units.

Increasing Security Threat

As the continued popularity of the iPhone and iPad expand Apple’s market reach, the company may find itself more vulnerable to security threats, according to a report from security specialist McAfee. “Historically, the Mac OS platform has remained relatively unscathed by malicious attackers, but McAfee Labs warns that Mac-targeted malware will continue to increase in sophistication in 2011,” the report warned. “The popularity of iPads and iPhones in business environments, combined with the lack of user understanding of proper security for these devices, will increase the risk for data and identity exposure, and will make Apple botnets and Trojans a common occurrence.”

The report also noted mobile devices in general will be more susceptible to attack in 2011. “Threats on mobile devices have so far been few and far between, as “jailbreaking” on the iPhone and the arrival of Zeus were the primary mobile threats in 2010,” the report said. “With the widespread adoption of mobile devices in business environments, combined with historically fragile cellular infrastructure and slow strides toward encryption, McAfee Labs predicts that 2011 will bring a rapid escalation of attacks and threats to mobile devices, putting user and corporate data at very high risk.”