Apple estimated to ship 18-20 million iPads in Q4

According to those hearty souls that make up Taiwan's supply chain, Apple is set for a nice jump in the number of Apple iPads it will ship in the fourth quarter. During the October through December period, it is estimated that Apple will ship 18-20 million units of its tablets globally. That is an increase of as much as 42% from the 14.1 million shipped in this year's third quarter.

For the entire year, Apple is now expected to ship 66.2-68.2 million iPads world-wide. That would represent a 4% growth over 2012 and would be the lowest year-over-year increase for the "top tier" tablet manufacturers. That is a pretty large lag over the global tablet market which is estimated to show shipments rising 57% year over year in 2013. Estimates call for 220 million slates to have been in transit this year, up from 140 million last year.

It is unclear how many of the estimated iPad shipments for Q4 2013 include the Apple iPad mini with Retina display. The device has yet to be given a launch date due to problems with the production of the Retina display. Yields have been lower than expected which has pushed back the launch of the device. Meanwhile, the Apple iPad Air is off to a great start and has an adoption rate 5 times greater than last year's new model. The iPad Air is a lighter, thinner device with a zippier processor and an improved display, when compared to the fourth-generation model.
 
source: DigiTimes