The highyly anticipated Apple iPad tablet device, that is slated for a launch in the month of April this year is already making the analysts and financial pundits get into high gear in the predictions for the performance of the iPad in the markets. As per predictions given by analyst, Craig Berger of FBR Capital Markets, Apple Inc. could very well manufacture about 5 million iPads in the very first six months of the year 2010

It has been stated that, Apple Inc. has infact instucted its Taiwanese manufacturing facilities to prepare for a roll out of about 5 million iPad units for the first half of 2010. Reports also indicate that, Apple has instructed these facilities to increase the productio levels for Apple iPod and Apple Mac computers for this financial quarter and will be decreasing the production of Apple iPhone. As per Mr. Berger, the current orders for the Apple Mac desktop computers have risen by 100%, the notebooks by 70% and demands for Apple iPod has been increased by a phenomenal 133%, whereas the demand for the Apple iPhone has infact come down by 20%.

As per his predictions, Apple could now be envisioned producing 9.3 million iPods in the March quarter, which would be a significant jump from his previous prediction of 4 million units. The desktop computers are also expected to witness a surge in production and could reach 1 million units from the presvious estimates of 500,000 units. Similiary, the notebooks are believed to touch the figure of 1.7 million units, from the previous estimates of 1 million units.

According to Craig Berger,

“We believe various news articles and competitor notes calling for a build delay were just false alarms,” he writes. The company, of course, has now set an April 3 launch for Wi-Fi versions of the iPad, with 3G versions to ship toward the end of April. Berger, who tracks the chip industry, thinks many iPhone component suppliers will also sell into the iPad, including Infineon (IFX), Skyworks (SWKS), Triquint (TQNT), Broadcom (BRCM) and Texas Instruments (TXN). Production in the 4-5 million unit range would “drive some material revenues” for these companies, he says, “particularly BRCM.”

Via Barrons