The Committee to Nuke Elysium

Apple is one of the company’s iSuppli has identified as being vulnerable to shortages in components for its latest iPad. Such components as the tablet’s touch screen-overlay glass, electronic compass, and battery are unique to the device and can’t be easily replaced if the Japanese suppliers are unable to resume full production.

Japanese components are used in smartphones and other high-end mobile devices because of the quality of the parts. If factories in Japan are unable to resume normal operations over the next few weeks, then mobile phone makers may find it difficult to find replacement parts of similar quality. “There’s a lot of hand wringing going on right now with some of the leaders in the handset market,” Pierson says.