Rumor: Pegatron lands iPad 3 contract, leaving Foxconn empty-handed

Boy Genius Report relays a story by Taiwan Economic News asserting that Pegatron Technology, not Foxconn, has landed a contract to build iPad 3. Per the original story:

After garnering Apple Inc.’s big order for 15 million units of iPhone, Pegatron Corp., a Taiwan-based contract manufacturer of electronic products, is allegedly to snap up the customer’s another order for iPad 3 production, poised to shake up Hon Hai Precision Industry Co., Ltd.’s leading status in Apple’s supply chain, according to industry sources. Hon Hai is likely to turn Apple’s another contract order for iPad 3 manufacturing over the Taiwanese counterpart, as the customer has considered looking for a second iPad supplier to reduce over-dependence on Hon Hai, especially at a time after an explosion accident occurred at the firm’s Chengdu factory in May. Therefore, Pegatron, having effectively integrated its production resources specifically for tablet PCs and built close partnership with Apple by supplying iPhone’s CDMA edition to the customer, has been regarded as the most likely candidate for handling Apple’s contract order for iPad 3.

Author Steve Chuang named purported iPad 3 suppliers, including the likes of TPK Holdings which is to provide touch panels for iPad 3, battery suppliers Simplo Technology and Dynapack International Technology, Largan Precision (camera lenses) and casings from Foxconn Technology. Those names tie nicely with a Tuesday report by DigiTimes that named other suppliers of iPad 3 components, including Novatek Microelectronics (LCD driver), Richtek Technology (integrated power management), Capella Microsystems (ambient light sensors) and Integrated Memory Logic (programmable gamma/Vcom buffer solutions). The China Times independently reported that iPad 3 would come “later this Fall”. This development is nothing unusual, mind you…

As 9to5Mac has repeatedly pointed out, Apple does not put all its eggs into one basket. Instead, the company prefers to have its suppliers and contract manufacturers bid each other out so Apple gets the lowest possible prices. Apple, like other companies, also sources components from multiple suppliers so it reduces its vulnerability should some of its suppliers be unable to fulfill orders or in unfortunate cases of disasters such as the Japan earthquake,