iPad sales may be slipping as demand shifts to iPad Mini (or Android)

iPad production rates are down. Is the full-size Apple tablet in trouble?

The launch of the iPad Mini may be bittersweet for Apple. According to folks at the production-side of things, sales of displays for the 9.7-inch iPad have slowed to a near halt, running at “the minimal level” according to a report from Reuters. While Apple’s current display manufacturer, Sharp, declines to spill the beans from a spokesperson, insiders from several sources claim production is down a lot, signaling bad news from the end of the food chain.

Declining iPad sales can be blamed on anything from over-saturation to competition from Android and Windows RT, but a smaller culprit could be at work: the iPad Mini. While the iPad’s sales are down, iPad Mini sales are climbing. High sales of the iPad Mini, as well as cheaper Android tablets, could be impacting iPad sales.

Reports indicate that the iPad’s Q4 predictions are not matching up to sales, and this contradicts with growing display panel sales from production in Asia. On the whole, tablet sales are up. However, on the bright side, the iPad Mini continues to perform well, as consumers see it as a cheaper, though equally qualified miniature tablet.

As Android tablets continue to get cheaper and the iPad Mini works its mojo, the good old iPad seems to be in for a rocky year.