Many company's are being affected by the devastation in Japan including Apple's release of the iPad2. iSuppli is reporting that 5 major parts are being manufactured in Japan. While some suppliers report their facilities were undamaged. The ability of getting the raw materials supplied and distributed as well as shipping out products still exist. There will also be facing difficulties with employee absences due to problems with transportation. iSuppli is reporting that its teardown analysis of the iPad 2 so far has been able to identify the following parts sourced from Japanese suppliers:

• NAND flash from Toshiba Corp.;
• dynamic random access memory (DRAM) made by Elpida Memory Inc.;
• an electronic compass from AKM Semiconductor;
• the touch screen overlay glasslikely from Asahi Glass Co;
• and the system battery from Apple Japan Inc.

Foxconn electronics has reportedly emphasized that iw will not see any components shortages in the short term, They have already prepared backup suppliers for parts used to manufacture its customers products. Foxconn's claims they keep should still have "about 2-3 weeks of components inventory left as they normally keep a certain level of inventory on hand for safety"

Should a recent iSuppli report be believed, Apple and Foxconn may be most concerned about five specific iPad 2 components sourced from Japan, including three believed to be supplied exclusively by component makers based out of the region: an electronic compass, the touch screen overlay glass, and the battery.

The fact is if things do not turn around with in the next month in Japan it may get even harder to get your hands on an iPad2. If you ask me if you have the time to try to get your hands on one now you should...