Reinforcements could boost iPad 2 output

The hot topic over the past couple of weeks has been the rush on the iPad 2. The international rollout of the tablet has been underscored by a shortage of units attributed in part to customer demand and in part to manufacturing issues stemming from the crisis in Japan.

Rumours inidicate that Apple may be looking to solve at least one of those problems. Mac Observer (Via the Taiwan Economic News) is reporting that Apple has reached out to AU Optronics for a fresh supply of iPad displays.

The shortage may not be the only thing driving sales, however. Mac Observer notes that Apple's other source of displays is Samsung, which manufactures its own tablet devices. The blog wonders, and appropriately so, whether Apple isn't looking for a neutral vendor to make its screens.

This may also be a case of the company's hedging its bets. Apple has in recent months been said to be stockpiling touch-screen hardware, and adding another manufacturer could be a matter of protecting against shortfalls or price jumps from other manufacturers.