New reports suggest that Apple has pushed its iPad 3 supply schedule back, amending it from a 2011 to a 2012 launch window.

First reported by Digitimes, the rumour states that Apple originally intended to release its as-yet-unconfirmed iPad 3 in the second half of 2011. Digitimes suggested that Apple had planned to launch the device shipping around 1.5 to two million units in Q3 and between five and six million in Q4 2011.

The unnamed source cited in the Digitimes report alleged that Apple's "supply chain partners" had confirmed to it that these figures had already been deleted and Apple now planned to launch the device in 2012. The same source claimed that the reason for the delay was poor production yields of the device's new 9.7 inch pixel retina display.

The source claimed that Apple's insistence that the device be thinner, more robust and with better colour support pushed the company's display tech to its limits, making it difficult to produce consistent results en-mass.

The rumour follows a similar claim from TiPb that also reported an early 2012 release for Apple's new iPad.

As is the case with all iPhone and iPad rumours, Apple is yet to release any firm data on any of its next generation devices. The company is yet to confirm whether it is even building the next version of its popular iPad series, let alone its release date.

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