SupplyShortage
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Acer Iconia Tab A100 delayed due to Honeycomb compatibility issues?
Acer was already kind enough to give us a heads up that it would not be launching the Iconia Tab A100 in May, as planned. But the company wasn't exactly champing at the bit to explain why its 7-inch, Tegra 2-powered tablet is taking such a tedious trip to market. According to a DigiTimes report, at least, the hangup comes down to compatibility issues with Honeycomb, an OS that so far hasn't been seen on many 7-inch slates. Specifically, the site's unnamed sources say Acer has encountered problems with certain applications and that Google, meanwhile, is "busy resolving other issues." All in all, precisely the kind of complication that Ice Cream Sandwich promises to circumvent. Oh, and speaking of delays, DigiTimes adds that the Iconia Smart might go on sale in July due to earthquake-related supply shortages. We asked Acer for clarification, but the company declined to comment, so it looks like we'll just have to wait and see what goodies late summer brings.
Report: Apple's inventory woes fixed for holiday shoppers
A number of analysts are expecting inventory shortages to restrict holiday gadget sales. However, Forbes reports that Apple will be able to avoid the pinch. Jason Busch, the founder and Managing Director of advisory firm Azul Partner, expects Apple to keep holiday shoppers happy for three main reasons. Busch says that firstly, Apple has "superior" forecast accuracy than its competitors. Keeping a close eye on where their inventory is at all times, Apple is able to control the particulars accurately, although they don't always get it right. For example, when a new iteration of a product is released -- like the new MacBook Air -- stock of the previous version will dry up in the weeks leading to that release, demonstrating Apple's precision in inventory management. Secondly, Busch says Apple is "at the top of the [inventory management] food chain" because of its sheer weight in the consumer electronics market. "Apple controls so much volume that it has greater influence over its suppliers, at multiple levels," says Busch. Finally, Apple can build strong lead times for its most popular products. For instance, the iPad was released in April allowing for strong supply chains to be established well before the expected holiday demand. Gartner supply chain analyst Mickey North Rizza affirms this by saying, "Because Apple brought out the iPad in April, they have had time to ramp things up. Apple's efforts to build a supply chain for each product will continue to create a distinct advantage in the marketplace." With iPhone 4 and iPad supply shortages having been recently resolved, Apple smoothed the kinks in its related supply chain. Either way, if you're looking to buy a loved one some Apple gear during this festive period, we'd recommend starting early, just to be on the safe side. [via MacDailyNews]
Motorola selling Droids faster than it can make them, has up to four videophones in pipeline
In case you're not yet convinced that video chat is the next big thing phone makers are going to push on us, let Motorola's Sanjay Jha enlighten you. Having just launched the video-centric Motorola XT720 in Europe (sans a front-facing camera), Jha is promising that his crew will deliver between two and four handsets this year with the equipment necessary to carry out video calls. Funnily enough, Moto's co-CEO describes himself as someone who's "never been a great believer" in the functionality, but clearly his company's seeing a trend it feels the need to be a part of. Speaking of trends, Moto has also fallen afoul of supply shortages similar to those constraining Droid Incredible inventory, with Jha saying about the Moto Droid, "if I could build more, I'd sell more." And if you could get Android 2.2 on them, you'd have some really happy customers too.
