Apple rumored to be reducing iPad 2 orders in anticipation of iPad 3

With the expected refresh of Apple’s iPad 3 looming, Digitimes’ sources have informed them that orders from Apple for the iPad 2 are gradually dropping ahead of the iPad 3. Their sources have also told them that orders for the iPad 3 remain steady for a March 2012 launch.

However this seems to go against earlier reports by Digitimes that suggested that Apple would be releasing multiple versions of the iPad, with a discounted iPad 2 supposedly being Apple’s answer to the affordable Amazon Kindle Fire. This model would basically be the same as Apple’s model for the iPhone 4S, which saw the device launch in 16GB, 32GB, and 64GB models with a special 8GB version of the iPhone 4 being offered up as a cheaper alternative.

Then again, Digitimes has been pretty hit and miss when it comes to Apple rumors, but given that the yearly refresh of the iPad will be upon us in a few months, it’s not really that huge a stretch of the imagination to think that Apple is scaling back on iPad 2 orders. Even so we suggest you take this with a grain of salt for now, at least until we hear the official word from Apple.