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Apple’s New iPad Is Make or Break For Suppliers

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Amongst the untold mass of enthusiasts who rushed out and pre-ordered the new iPad the moment it was unveiled yesterday, is a small group of oddballs who bought it only to break it apart.

While analysts and consumers mull the pros, cons and cost of the device and its new features, this little known subculture of "demolitionists" will essentially be mining for gold, as they discover exactly what is inside and who made each particular piece and part.

"It isn't really until we're able to do this tear-down analysis that we actually know who the winners and losers around these new products are," says David Garrity, a principal at GVA Research, in the attached clip. It is then that a second cycle of iPad plays kicks-in as investors bid up shares of the suppliers who are contributing to the hottest selling consumer product on earth.

But that's not all. As much as an order from Apple (AAPL) can make your year, being left out can ruin it. In fact, Garrity says, even "the ancient iPad" (a.k.a the iPad 2) will get a second look to see who may benefit and/or lose as a result of its newly reduced price. Only then can we get "a full picture of what things will actually look like across the supplier community."

Some of the winners and losers could be:

Qualcomm (QCOM) - It remains to be seen how active a role the chip maker has in the latest Apple product but it's strong track record and the fact that it is a bit of a 4G expert could mean a windfall for the chip maker.

OmniVision (OVTI) - Reports that their camera sensors are being used in both of the new iPad's cameras led Baird to upgrade the company to "outperform" which has already led shares to jump this week.

TriQuint (TQNT) - The processor specialist has been a key player in previous Apple products, especially in their most recent must-have gadget the iPhone 4S.

Nuance (NUAN) - The maker of the popular "Siri" voice recognition technology in the iPhone 4S could stand to win with the new iPad, but with just a watered down "Siri light" dictation tool, questions loom about just how much Nuance had to do with the new tablet.

AT&T (T) and VERIZON (VZ) - The jury is still out as to whether the two wireless leaders have the infrastructure to make new iPad users happy who will be expecting to swiftly surf the web with the gadget's new "4G LTE" capability. While the telecoms are investing billions in infrastructure to try to keep pace with the rapidly rising tide of mobile data use, they are also currently headed towards what could be a budding price war, following AT&T's decision to refine the meaning - and cost - of unlimited service.

If you are looking for even more possible plays, Apple's competition may be the place to look. While Apple still controls about 60% of the tablet market, the remaining 40% is sliced up to the point where no single player can claim more than 5%. Samsung's Galaxy and Amazon 's (AMZN) Kindle Fire appear to be gaining the most traction but admittedly have a long way to go. If Apple hits a double instead of a home run with their latest and greatest tablet, the door could open JUST enough to let one of the also-rans into the big leagues.

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