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Widescreen iMacs set for Q3 – report
New lamps for old
A report from the heartland of American manufacturing (ie Taiwan) suggests that production of 17 inch and 19 inch versions of the new iMac will begin in Q3 this year.
Local news service Digitimes reports also reports that the industry-wide LCD shortage continues to constrain the number of IMacs that the manufacturer Quanta can ship. Mindful of these shortages, a Q3 production ramp allows Apple time to build inventory in time for a New Year launch. Having inventory lying around isn't particularly fashionable now, but it is a sensible move when key component supplies are constrained.
In a related story, we recommend a look at the national security implications of the tech industry's reliance on China and Taiwan for manufacturing, published in the June edition of Harper's [dead tree version only]. Describing Dell Computer as "a delivery channel for Taiwanese-made products", it discusses the vulnerability of Western tech giants to Chinese political pressure.
Unnamed electronic companies admit they have no contingency plan in the event of a "sit-down strike" by China's Party-owned manufacturers. In the piece, Intel's Andy Grove argues that Western investment makes war between the US and China essentially impossible, to which the former US Army attache in Beijing replies: "If Grove is that dependent on that source than he has assured the destruction of his own corporation."
What component shortage? Follow-ups to our mailbag, if you like. ®
Biting the hand that feeds IT
