iLounge

Apple has secured close to 60 percent of global touch panel capacity for 2011, leading to tight supplies for its competitors, according to a new report. Citing sources from upstream component makers, DigiTimes reports that Apple’s move was made in order to achieve its internal goal of shipping 40 million iPads in 2011, with the company holding control over the capacity of major panel suppliers such as Wintek and TPK. Sources from iPad distributors reportedly said that Apple’s 2010 order forecasts to OEM partners were also high, but the biggest problem on the supply side was not capacity, but instead low yields of touch panels. The report notes that aside from Apple, large companies such as Motorola, RIM, and HP are also competing for related components, leaving second-tier tablet makers “out of the game.”