iSuppli Bumps 2011 iPad Forecast to 43.7 Million

iSuppli has bumped its forecast for 2011 iPad sales to 43.7 million units, up from 36.5 million. The research firm based the increase on improved component availability, which plays well with the firm’s ongoing belief that the only constraint on sales remains iPad’s limited availability.

Looking ahead to 2012, the company also increased iPad estimates to 63.3 million units from 50.4 million units. For the current calendar year (Apple’s fiscal year ended in September), iSuppli nudged iPad shipping estimates from 12.9 million units to 13.8 million.

“The only constraint on shipment growth now is production—and not demand,” Rhoda Alexander, director of monitor research for iSuppli, said in a statement. “The only factor limiting production is the availability of key iPad components, such as the Field Fringe Switching (FFS) LCD panels, projected capacitive touch screens and NAND flash. Despite ongoing yield issues, Apple’s suppliers have steadily increased monthly production to meet Apple’s demand. Production rates are now on target to meet the expected strong fourth-quarter sales.”

iSuppli Chart

Source: iSuppli, October 2010

In the September quarter, Apple said its average selling price (ASP) for the iPad was US$645. Most analysts currently believe Apple’s ASP will decline over time, and some quick back-of-the-napkin math says that if Apple were able to sell 63.3 million iPads in 2012 with an ASP of $600, the company would have some $37.98 billion in iPad revenue alone that year.