Apple to ship iPad 2 for Feb 2011?

The Digitimes has a story (Foxconn to ship iPad 2 by the end of February 2011) saying that Foxconn the manufacturer of Apple’s iPad have been given 100 days to produce and ship the first iPad 2 devices, so anyone thinking of getting a cheap subsidised iPad and who want to be cutting edge should probably hang-fire.

The Digitimes is not normally wrong in it’s predictions, being based in the countries where most of the devices are made, and it has pretty good links and tends to get the scoops before anyone else.

According to the report Foxconn Electronics’ plants in Shenzhen, China have been told that Apple requires units of Apple’s iPad 2 within the next 100 days with initial shipments to reach 400,000-600,000.

The Digitimes says their sources say that the Apple originally planned to start mass production in January, but because the device’s firmware is currently still in testing, Apple has been postponing the schedule.

The sources pointed out that Foxconn shipped about six million iPads in the third quarter of 2010, meaning there are about 1.8 million units of inventory left for the fourth quarter. The sources forecast that Apple will still place about 1.6-1.8 million units of orders in January, but will start to reduce order volumes in February to allow the remaining inventory to last until the end of March.

What do you want the iPad 2 to ship with? Let’s have a quick poll, USB ports, NFC, better camera, better battery life?

[ad name=”Google Text half banner advert “]