The iPad Pro (2024) has a shipping target of more than nine million units, according to a report. The Cupertino-based tech giant is said to be bullish on the lofty target despite reports predicting a market crash. The number far exceeds the estimates of market experts, who think that Apple will ship between 4 and 5 million units. The high volume of shipments also highlights Apple's faith in the most expensive iPad Pro model in the company's history.
iPad Pro (2024) will comprise two-thirds of all OLED tablets shipped in 2024
The latest iPad Pro models, launched at Apple's Let Loose event earlier this month, feature an Ultra Retina XDR display, which is also called a Tandem OLED display. This is the first time that Apple is introducing OLED displays for both the 11-inch and 13-inch variants. However, the manufacturing of these displays is complicated, which has led to delays in the on-time shipment of the devices.
According to a report by DigiTimes Asia, despite the delays, Apple's suppliers, Samsung Display (SDC) and LG Display, remain committed to meeting the shipment target. Apple is also sticking to the original target despite warnings of a market slump, with several experts predicting a volume of 4-5 million iPad Pro units by 2024, according to the report citing unnamed sources.
To speed up the manufacturing process, SDC is said to be increasing its production capacity by expanding from one to two A3 lines to manufacture OLED displays for the iPad Pro, according to the report.
Since Apple's tablet uses a dual-stack hybrid OLED display and the A3 line is said to have a single-stack OLED as its main design, the publication suggested that the vendor may have to make some adjustments to the process of production
On the other hand, LG Display is said to be ready to handle high volume. SDC is reportedly to manufacture more than four million units of two-stack tandem OLED displays, while LG Display is to deliver five million units.
Meanwhile, market research firm Omdia claims in a recent report that the global shipment of tablets with OLED displays will exceed 12 million units, of which 8.9 million units will come from the iPad Pro alone. This would mean that iPad Pro models will take up two-thirds of the entire shipments of OLED tablets in the current year, marking the market space captured by Apple.
