Global panic as iPad delay rumored by analyst

Canaccord Adams analyst Peter Misek reported on Monday on a possible delay in the launch of the iPad due to an "unspecified production problem." Misek said Hon Hai Precision, Apple's Taiwan-based supplier, could be facing either a shortage of components or a production bottleneck.

However, he also said the launch could be limited, rather than delayed. That is probably a more likely scenario, as Apple's iPhone models have always sold out upon launch.

On the other hand, a significant issue, limiting iPads severely, could in fact cause Apple to push the device launch out into April, as Misek said. It is telling that Apple still has not allowed pre-orders to begin on the device, despite the fact that it is slated for a "late March" release (wi-fi only version).

An iPad launch delay would be unusual for Apple; most consumers associate that sort of delay with Microsoft (think: Windows Vista). It's also true that Misek's sources are on the production side, and aren't the decision makers involved.

Despite his forecast, Misek still expects Apple to sell 550,000 iPads in its 2010 fiscal third quarter, which ends in June, and 1.2 million iPads in the 2010 fiscal year. He added, "The only material impact from the iPad delay could come in the form of frustrated consumers and some modest loss of luster for the company's product launch."